


Proposals

by WolfenM



Series: Princess Rampion [2]
Category: Disney Animated Fandoms, Disney Princesses, Rapunzel (Fairy Tale), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Marriage Proposal, Missing Scene, Misunderstandings, Mystery, Surprises, court intrigue, fairytale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-13
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-17 17:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3538313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfenM/pseuds/WolfenM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Answers the question of why Eugene had to propose so often ....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Autumn Harvest

**Author's Note:**

> **DISCLAIMER:** Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Flynnigan Rider, Eugene Fitzherbert, Maximus the horse, Pascal the chameleon, Mother Gothel, the Captain of the Guard, the hook-handed thug, Vladimir, Attila, Big Nose, Killer, the king, and the queen, as they exist in the film Tangled, on which this story is based, ©/TM The Walt Disney Company. Used without permission. For entertainment purposes only; no profit is being made, and no infringement is intended.
> 
>  **Note:** A sequel to my fic "In Knots", I originally started writing this fic in February of 2011, but got waylaid. I didn't finish and post it until January of 2012, at deviantART. I fixed it up some to post here.
> 
> You'll see a few different styles of section-breaks in this story ....  
> o=[======> \- means that the section following it is told from Eugene's (3rd person) point of view.  
> ...oOo... - means the section following it is told from Rapunzel's (3rd person) point of view.  
> (+) - means that the next section takes place entirely after the section before it.  
> (-) - means that the next section begins as a rewind of sorts, retelling at least a portion of the previous section from the other character's perspective.
> 
> Characters to know from my previous fic, "In Knots":  
> Hans - my name for Hook-hand  
> Reynard - Eugene's father (my creation), an expert thief, con-man, and murderer. After attempting to blackmail Eugene, he was arrested and sent away to face charges for crimes committed in another kingdom.  
> Marcoh - court physician.  
> Ancel - a servant who was tricked by Reynard into leading Eugene into a trap.  
> Almaswint/Mallie - the name I gave Rapunzel's mother (it means "hard worker"; in my version, she was born a farmer's daughter).  
> Linfred - the name I gave Rapunzel's father (it means "gentle peace").  
> Rampion - I chose this as the name that Rapunzel's parents had given her at birth (as chosen by their subjects), figuring that Gothel wouldn't have kept the child's real name. Both Rampion and Rapunzel basically mean "radish", but the name was chosen for the flower that saved the queen and her child (for argument's sake, just accept that it was a rampion blossom ;P).  
> Gregory - the castle seneschal, the man who oversees the rest of the staff.

o=[======>  
In the weeks following the end of the celebration of the return of "Princess Rampion", Eugene and Rapunzel's routine wasn't much altered, save for that Eugene's physical shape gradually improved (an incident at the docks had left his hands and arms rope-burned, and his muscles sore). They went sight-seeing through the kingdom during the day, had dinner and entertainment with the king and queen in the evening (albeit on a much smaller scale than during the celebration), and Rapunzel applied Eugene's medications at night — with Eugene, after a few days of balking from Rapunzel, massaging her feet for her afterwards, in an effort to soothe skin and muscles not yet used to the humid confinement of shoes.  
  
Sometimes Pascal sat with them; sometimes he retired early to Rapunzel's room; and sometimes the chameleon hung out with Max instead — supposedly. Whenever it _seemed like_ the little lizard wasn't around, Eugene couldn't help but suspect that Pascal actually _was_ still there. Eugene supposed that fact would keep his roguish self on his best behavior in the evenings — if a strong desire to mold himself into an honourable man, for Rapunzel's sake, wasn't already enough.  
  
Which it was, of course, even if some temptations took more willpower to resist than others. In those moments, it helped to remind himself of how Gothel had taken advantage of Rapunzel. He never wanted to be like that old woman: a taker, a user.  
  
With the best intentions ever in mind, Eugene soon (however reluctantly) decided it was past time he took up his duties for the king, as Linfred's personal secretary. Rapunzel, in turn and to her parents' approval, insisted on serving in the same capacity for her mother, with apparently similar reasoning: to learn how to run the kingdom. This meant that Eugene and Rapunzel were sequestered in the castle much more often — and also saw each other less, as Linfred and Mallie often had separate matters to attend to. Even with this change, though, Eugene and Rapunzel's evenings were much the same, sans the medication (but still including the foot-massaging, and a bit of neck-rubbing).  
  
There was another, sizable change to their lives in general that neither of them had expected (although, in hindsight, Eugene supposed they _should_ have): getting personal attendants. The king and queen insisted on it, explaining that any leader needed a "second", a confidant that they could trust implicitly to keep secrets and carry out orders.  
  
Eugene chose Ancel, the young man whom Rapunzel had asked to bring them water every night, and had demonstrated respect for their privacy in the process. True, the young man had been tricked by Eugene's con artist of a father, Reynard, into creating a trap for Eugene — but then, who _wouldn't_ have been fooled by the man? And Eugene figured that the experience had just made the boy all the more cautious, and more eager than ever to do his job well.  
  
The only problem Eugene had with this situation had nothing to do with Ancel: it was just that, save for the recent weeks of being pampered by his girlfriend (and pampering her in turn), Eugene was both used to and _liked_ to do things on his own. He had even liked being _alone_ , at least until he'd met Rapunzel. While he was learning to appreciate the company of Pascal, seneschal Gregory, the palace staff, the thugs, and especially Max and the royal family, part of him still craved solitude now and then. Getting acclimated to having a _near-constant_ companion and letting someone else do things for him (especially help him dress), was slow going.  
  
He said as much to the king and queen when they'd made the suggestion in the first place. Mallie, after actually commiserating with him (and thus reminding him that she had been a farm girl before she was a queen), pointed out how having servants created jobs and gave the people who accepted the work not just income, but a sense of purpose. Linfred, who sympathised even though he'd had servants all his life, added that, by looking after the smaller details of a ruler's life, servants freed up precious minutes for their charges each day — minutes that added up over time. In essence, servants allowed a ruler to serve the populace in turn by using that time to focus on protecting the kingdom from enemies (both within and without), working out trade agreements, and do other things that affected their whole country — sometimes even the world. That helped Eugene to see the master/servant relationship, at least in this instance, as a cooperative effort, rather than something just a step above slavery.  
  
Rapunzel, meanwhile, chose Ancel's sweetheart — a bright, friendly girl named Idella — to be her handmaiden, rather than selecting a pre-existing member of the staff. Rapunzel's reasoning behind the choice — besides the fact that the girl did indeed seem quite capable of the job — was two-fold.  
  
The first reason was practical: since people tended to confide secrets in their significant other, even state secrets, and since most any secret Eugene or Rapunzel had would be shared with each other and their personal attendants, and said attendants might confide in their _own_ significant others, choosing matched servants reduced the number of people who would know said secrets from a possible six back down to four, plus exempt Ancel from the stress of trying to keep secrets from Idella.  
  
The second reason was a matter of kindness (well, even more kind than the first, anyway): this arrangement, quite simply, would allow the two sweethearts to see one another much more often than Idella working in town, in her family's shop, would. Having come very close to never seeing the love of his life again, Eugene was all for giving the young pair every opportunity to be together!  
  
And so the next three months or so passed: Eugene trailed the King like a lost and bewildered duckling, while Ancel, in turn, trailed Eugene like a sentient and tangible shadow, often doing whatever Eugene needed done before Eugene even realised that there was something that needed doing. It was almost too bad it wasn't Ancel who was to be Prince Consort!  
  
Perhaps that was why Eugene took an evil sort of pleasure in Ancel's discomfiture on Harvest Night.  
  
o=[======> (+)  
  
Snow fell lightly, as if the weather was impatient for the official start of winter the next day; the two men watched the little frozen flakes through the window, from the warmth of the private dining room.  
  
"I'm so nervous — why am I nervous?" Ancel asked Eugene.  
  
"Gee, I dunno, Ancel. You've only known her your _whole life_ , right?" Eugene mused dryly. "I mean, you'd think if she were sick of you, she would have said something by now. So don't worry; you're as good as married already as it is!"  
  
Ancel laughed, but only weakly; Eugene couldn't blame him for not being terribly amused. By all accounts, the assumption was that Eugene and Rapunzel were going to marry — why else would Linfred be grooming Eugene to be Prince Consort, after all? But the idea of asking her filled Eugene with the sort of terror one would feel if shot from a catapult — a sensation that Eugene was in a position to know pretty much literally, not just figuratively!  
  
Ancel looked as though he knew as well, judging by the terror in his eyes.  
  
Eugene suddenly felt like he was playing Big Brother again, like back at the orphanage, and decided to roll with it. He came to stand before the lad and took him by the shoulders.  
  
"Ancel, you _want_ to marry her, right? I mean, there's no one _else_ you want ...?"  
  
"Of course not! I mean, of course there's no one else I want, not—"  
  
"I get what you mean," Eugene assured the youth. "So there's nothing for it; you _have_ to ask her. Getting nervous and chickening out is just going to delay the inevitable. If she says yes, you'll be that much closer to having a 'Happily Ever After' with her. If she says no, then the sooner you find out, the sooner you can both get on with your lives and maybe find whomever you _are_ supposed to be with. All this waiting around isn't going to do anyone any good — life's too short as it is. Trust me on this one." Eugene had already died once, after all!  
  
"And are you going to follow your own advice?" Ancel asked shrewdly, suddenly not seeming so young as barely-eighteen anymore.  
  
Eugene was saved from responding by the sound of Rapunzel's voice coming down the hall — their early warning to be ready.  
  
"I just need to grab something I left in the private dining room!" she was saying, presumably to Idella.  
  
Eugene took a quick glance around the room. Satisfied that it was ready, he then gave Ancel a once-over, making sure the young man's clothes were in pristine order. "You've got the ring?"  
  
Ancel nodded, holding up a small box and flipping it open.  
  
The ring went flying.  
  
By a miracle or sheer dumb luck, after several fumbled catches from both of them, Eugene got a solid grip on the ring and placed it back in the box, just in time. Ancel hid the box in a floral arrangement on the dining table, and he and Eugene bowed as the girls entered the room. Like Eugene, Rapunzel was dressed in the garb of a palace servant, wearing a mask for the Harvest Masquerade that night; like Ancel, Idella was wearing the finery of a noble, and a mask as well. Eugene wondered how much trouble Rapunzel had gone through in getting Idella to wear that dress.  
  
"Hi. How ya doin'?" Eugene asked Idella, pouring on the charm before winking at Rapunzel.  
  
Rapunzel giggled, and the sound danced warmly across his skin.  
  
But they weren't there for his and Rapunzel's sake that night, so he did his best to ignore the sensation and the accompanying wish that he and his princess were alone. Instead, smothering a grin, Eugene watched Idella as the young lady took in the harvest decorations — the brightly-coloured, leafy garland dotted with glittering apples that traced the walls, the autumn-coloured finery on the table, and the myriad of cranberry-scented candles — with wide eyes.  
  
"Oh! My Lord Fitzherbert, you did this for our princess?" the handmaiden exclaimed. "It's beautiful! But how did you know my lady would stop here?"  
  
Eugene felt a stab of regret then. This _was_ a holiday, after all — his and Rapunzel's first Harvest Night together. He _should_ be making the most of it for _his_ girlfriend, shouldn't he?  
  
Then again, looking at her now, the way Rapunzel smiled in delight at Idella, maybe this was the best thing he could have done ....  
  
"Actually, this isn't for Her Highness," Ancel revealed to Idella, pulling out a chair for her.  
  
"Tonight, _you_ are the princess," Eugene confirmed, taking Idella's hand and guiding her— nearly dragging her, really — over to the seat.  
  
"Oh! Oh, no, I can't—" the girl protested; Eugene could swear she was glued to the carpet.  
  
"You can and you will," Rapunzel told the young woman firmly as she poured a glass of cider for her. "That's an order!" She winked at her handmaiden. "Tonight, _Eugene and I_ will wait on _you two_."  
  
And so they did, trading sly glances and soft looks across the table as they worked.  
  
Idella was obviously tense at first, but soon seemed to forget that Eugene and Rapunzel were even there — a sign that he and Rapunzel were being "proper" servants (as in not seen or heard), Eugene thought with a strange sort of pride.  
  
As the night wore on, Eugene found himself thinking about the advice he'd given Ancel about proposing, wondering if Rapunzel was at all envious of Idella right now. Eugene and Rapunzel's situation wasn't exactly the same — they hadn't known each other for very long — but like Ancel, Eugene knew what he wanted.  
  
Just as Eugene was starting to wonder if Ancel really _did_ know after all, the youth (finally!) removed the box from its hiding place and, with maddening hesitance (the kind that made Eugene want to rip the box from Ancel's hand and do it for him), made his request. Ancel had barely even managed to get the words out before Idella leapt from her chair (nearly taking the tablecloth with her) and silenced her beloved with a kiss. Or maybe it was the arms she had thrown tightly around him that has cut off his question; either way, Eugene was afraid the guy was suffocating.  
  
And then, suddenly, breathing was no easy feat for Eugene either, as a beaming Rapunzel first crushed him in what he liked to call a "thug-hug", then pulled him down for a kiss. He gladly obliged her with the latter. In fact, he would have willingly tested the limits of his oxygen supply — if she hadn't cut the liplock off herself, in order to congratulate the happy couple.  
  
They then escorted the pair to the ballroom, where Rapunzel — with the help of Hook-Hand Hans at the piano — announced the engagement to the crowd. The king and queen warmly congratulated the pair, and visiting nobles followed suit (no doubt assuming that Ancel and Idella were nobles themselves).  
  
Watching Rapunzel and her parents mingling with their esteemed company, Eugene wondered if the king and queen were disappointed that it wasn't their own daughter's engagement being celebrated that night — particularly as Ancel and Idella were younger than Rapunzel. He couldn't stop thinking about it as he and his girlfriend found a place to sit with Max, Pascal, Linfred, and Queen Mallie, and enjoyed the bountiful feast offered, for the next hour or so. Food finished, monarchs mingling, and the princess cavorting with Pascal and some of their "thugly friends" (as Eugene referred to them privately), the king's secretary sat with the horse, idly rolling a thin wire napkin-ring between his fingers, watching the glass gem set in it sparkle. It reminded him a little of the ring that Ancel, having come from a family of jewellers, had made for his bride.  
  
 _Made_ for his bride....  
  
"Max, old buddy, you mind if I go dance with my girl?" Eugene asked, eyeing the now-twisted napkin-ring, wondering if, even doubled over so that it was two conjoined circles of half the size it had been, it was still too big to fit snugly on such a delicate finger as Rapunzel's.  
  
Max paused from inhaling his food to glance Eugene's way. The horse eyed the impromptu ring, then gaped at Eugene, food dropping from his mouth. Max then proceeded to grin in a most unsettling way and clapped Eugene on the shoulder with a hoof.  
  
"I'll take that as a no, you don't mind," Eugene replied ruefully, rubbing his now-bruised shoulder and getting to his feet. "Wish me luck?"  
  
Max held out a hoof; it took Eugene a moment to realise there was a horseshoe attached to it, and another moment to remember that horseshoes were considered lucky.  
  
He smiled and shook the hoof, "Thanks, buddy!"  
  
Taking a deep breath and tugging on his tunic a moment, Eugene set off through the crowd to find his girl. After a few delays from nobles who mistook him for the servant he was dressed as, he found her singing and playing guitar with the band. For a moment, he was surprised; he didn't even know she could play! But then he remembered seeing a guitar in Rapunzel's tower. Of _course_ she knew how to play: she'd had eighteen years to study that and a hundred thousand other skills, hadn't she? He suddenly realised there was still so much he didn't know about her.  
  
"Well, you'll have plenty of time to learn, won't you, old salt?" he murmured to himself. "You know the important stuff: that she's smart and kind and has a great sense of humour." _And is beautiful, and rich, and powerful_ .... "Stop that," he chided himself. "That's _not_ why you love her. Well, okay, at least beauty's not the _main_ reason. And you loved her even back when you thought she was just a really strange peasant girl." Ignoring the niggling worry that he wasn't being entirely truthful with himself, he approached her as the song ended.  
  
He wasn't fast enough, though: the thug that most people called "Big Nose" reached her first and apparently asked her to dance. If she had been any other girl, he wouldn't have given her saying yes a second thought, figuring she was just being nice. And well, she probably _was_ just being nice here, too, since she told Eugene every day that she loved him. But the thing was, unlike most girls, Rapunzel hadn't grown up with society's notions of what was attractive, so even the arguably ugliest guys in the kingdom were still potential competition for her interest. Especially if it ever occurred to her that she had fallen for the first guy she'd ever seen since infancy, without really sampling what the world had to offer.  
  
Not wanting to spoil her present fun with his paranoia, Eugene left her alone for the time being, but made sure that he was right there beside her when the song ended, effectively pre-empting any other man's attempt to wrangle her into dancing. "Take a walk with me?" he asked her. "I need some air."  
  
He led her out onto the balcony, where smiling, hollowed-out, candle-lit gourds kept them cheerful company.  
  
"Wasn't it wonderful?" she sighed wistfully, lifting her mask and resting against the rail. "Idella and Ancel are going to be so happy together! Er, not that they aren't already, but ... well, you know what I mean," she finished shyly.  
  
"I do," he nodded, raising his own mask. "And I think we could be happy like that too," he added, pulling out the ring he'd fashioned. "This is only a placeholder," he added quickly. "That is ... if you want it to be?"  
  
The shock in her eyes wasn't the sort he was going for.  
  
"Oh, Eugene ..." she sighed, all wistfulness gone now. Or at least most of it. Either way, Eugene felt like he'd just tried to swallow a saw. "You're only asking me because you feel like you _ought_ to!" she protested.  
  
"What?! _No_ , I—"  
  
She rest a finger against his lips, using her other hand to close his fingers over the ring. "I can't say yes in a situation like this! It wouldn't be fair to either of us. I would always wonder if you really wanted to propose, or if it was out of a sense of duty."  
  
"Are you _kidding?!_ Of _course_ I _want_ to—"  
  
"But I'll never know for sure," she told him firmly. "Look, I'm not saying no. I'm just not saying yes _right now_. This is Idella and Ancel's night — let them keep the spotlight. For that matter, let them have their wedding without the preparations for our _own_ overshadowing theirs. And meanwhile, take the time to really _think_ about whether this is what you want or what you _think_ you _should_ want. Come on, let's get back to the ball." And so, lowering her mask and taking his hand, she led him back indoors.  
  
He was glad for his own mask then, as he drew it back over his eyes: although it only covered the top half of his face, he hoped it would help conceal how brittle his smile had surely become, help shadow the sheen of tears in his eyes and veil the broken heart behind them. How could she doubt for even a moment that he well and truly _wanted_ to marry her?  
  
...Or was it really that, whatever her words, she didn't want to marry _him_ , and she was hoping he would never dare broach the subject again ...?  
  
...o.O.o... (-)  
Just shortly after Rapunzel had announced Idella and Ancel's engagement, she found herself surrounded by a handful of noblewomen she'd been getting to know over the months since her return.  
  
"That was such a sweet thing you did for them!" a lady named Sofia cooed.  
  
"Yes, I pity any other soul who might try to propose tonight," another, called Regina, remarked. "Surely he'd be outclassed now before he even began!"  
  
"What do you mean?" Rapunzel asked. She really didn't know much of how proposals were _supposed_ to go.  
  
"Well, how does anyone beat a guy having his ladlylove be served by a _princess_?" Regina asked in turn.  
  
Rapunzel blinked. The fact that she was a princess hadn't factored into the equation when she'd suggested to Eugene that they serve Ancel and Idella; she just wanted to limit the number of people who knew about the whole thing so Idella's surprise wouldn't get spoiled! And she figured pampering the couple was the least they could do, for all that the pair did for _them_ every day. "Is that really such a big deal?" she asked.  
  
"Rampion, dear, I know you haven't been a princess long, and to you, yourself, you're nothing... _special_ , but be that as it may, you _are_ royalty," Regina continued — rather patronisingly, Rapunzel felt. "Outside of Topsy-Turvy day — which is a few months off yet, keep in mind — I don't think _any_ one has ever been served by royalty in such a way! So how could any proposal top it? No, I think any other man would do best to wait, now, until this affair's forgotten, lest his girl — and everyone here — be forever comparing his proposal to this Ancel fellow's, so fresh in our memories right now, and find the next proposal lacking!" she smirked.  
  
"People would do that?" Rapunzel was a little horrified, even sickened, to hear that any _one_ person, much less _many_ , thought that way.  
  
"Oh, most assuredly," Regina confirmed. "It'd be a story for people to tell at parties, or to their grandchildren, even! Everyone would think him pathetic — maybe even _incompetent_ , a buffoon — if he didn't have the sense to wait!"  
  
"Or think him unoriginal, which is arguably even worse," Sofia suggested. "They'd likely assume that he'd only thought of proposing because someone else had done so. Or they might conjecture that he feared his girlfriend might dump him if he didn't do the same. I wouldn't blame a fellow for thinking so, either — I've seen it happen!"  
  
Rapunzel laughed uneasily. Truth be told, she was starting to wonder if Eugene would _ever_ propose, had even hoped he might be inspired to do so tonight. But while she tried to dismiss the women's musings as idle chatter, she realised now that if he did, she would wonder forever after if he'd really _wanted_ to, or had simply felt obligated. And now there was the added worry that their future subjects might think less of him for proposing on the coattails of his own servant — unless he somehow planned a more spectacular event for the asking!  
  
The gossip-mongers' words haunted Rapunzel the rest of the evening, despite her best effort to chase such thoughts away by singing and dancing with her friends. Her stomach flipped when Eugene asked her to come outside. Moments later, he confirmed what she feared: that he'd decided, on the fly, to pop the question. Odd how, just a couple of hours ago, she would have been thrilled to be asked! Honestly, she didn't care one wit about fanfare, and it wasn't like she's _wanted_ to turn him down, but under the circumstances, if they wanted to keep the court's respect (and therefore rule more effectively, for the sake of their people), it was for the best.  
  
Wasn't it?  
  
...oOo... (+)  
"You must be relieved that Eugene didn't propose last night ..."  
  
Rapunzel looked up in surprise at Idella. Was her maidservant a gossip — had she been talking with Sophie and Regina?  
  
Idella blushed and glanced back down at the paper in her hand, one of many the two young women had been going over for Mallie. "Forgive my impudence, my lady. It's just ... I thought for certain that he was going to when we walked into that room, but with the curse ... Well, surely it's best he doesn't for a long while?"  
  
"Curse?" Rapunzel asked, perplexed — and, now, a little worried.  
  
Idella looked distinctly uncomfortable as she nodded. "For the last twelve generations of your family, every time the heir to the throne married, their parents died within a year of the marriage. Well, if they weren't dead beforehand, anyway."  
  
"It _would_ be hard to die a _second_ time," Mallie weighed in with a smirk as she entered the room.  
  
"Is it true?" Rapunzel asked her mother. Surely it couldn't be: her mother wouldn't be smiling now if it was, right?  
  
Mallie's smile fell, and Rapunzel's hopes fell with it. "That all those kings and queens died shortly after their children married? Yes, sad to say," Mallie replied seriously, stroking Rapunzel's hair comfortingly. "But that the family is cursed? No. They all died under perfectly ordinary, understandable circumstances. Those were bloody times, and also rife with illness. In fact, in some cases, one might say the kings and queens clung to life just to make sure that their children's reign was well-established. And at least three of them died in their late seventies! So don't fret about it, my dear; your father and I aren't going anywhere. No early retirement for us!"  
  
 _True, you won't — not if _I_ have anything to say about it,_ Rapunzel silently agreed.


	2. Winter Solstice

o=[======> (+)  
"You do know that I'm the one getting married today, right?" Ancel asked Eugene.

Eugene stopped his pacing and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry ...." He plopped down into a chair with a sigh.

"Don't say sorry; tell me what's got you even more nervous than me," Ancel laughed.

Eugene ran a hand through his hair, wondering if discretion was the better part of valor here. He remembered then that part of the reason for having a manservant was, according to King Linfred, to have a trustworthy confidant. And who knew, maybe Ancel would have some good advice ....

"I tried to propose to Rapunzel on Harvest Night," he confessed.

Eyes wide, Ancel dropped into the seat beside him. "And she said no?"

Eugene nodded glumly. "She told me that if she said yes at that point, she'd always wonder if I'd asked because I really wanted to marry her, or just because I felt I was supposed to, since you had just asked Idella. She told me to let you two have the spotlight, and to use the time to think on it more carefully. Thing is, I knew right then that I want to marry her, and I haven't changed my mind once since! I guess I haven't done enough to convince her that I well and truly love her, though, if she could doubt my sincerity like that, " he finished miserably.

"No, it just means that she's not sure if you know yourself well enough to know if you're the marrying kind," Ancel corrected. "Not everyone is; It doesn't means they are incapable of loving — just that they don't want or aren't suited to the responsibilities involved with marriage, which doesn't even necessarily involve love."

"Well, how do I find out if I am or not?" Eugene wondered, apprehensive. Was there some sort of test?

Ancel grinned. "Lucky for you, I've had the privilege of observing you for months, so I think I have a pretty good idea of what you're capable of."

"... And??" Eugene demanded after waiting a patient two-and-a-half seconds.

"Let's see ... you do the work you're told to, for one."

Eugene's heart sank a little. "Not without complaining," he confessed. The paperwork was especially tedious, but reading up on court procedure had prompted him to throw books across the room in frustration.

"The king doesn't do it without complaining either, I've noted," Ancel replied dryly. "Most Everyone hates at least some aspect of their job. But a man unsuited to marriage would quit the job and go on his way; you stick to it, for her sake. Further, he'd do things according to his schedule, and expect her to drop everything when he comes around on his free time, but I've seen you hammer your schedule to fit with hers. He'd want a lot of personal space; you, on the other hand, get anxious when she's not around."

"I do?"

"For another thing," Ancel continued, "you massage her feet every day, even when you are clearly tired yourself."

"Well, she does rub my neck for me; it's the least I could do," Eugene pointed out, wondering how Ancel knew about the foot-rubs.

"Trust me, even many married folks wouldn't think to return the favour. They'd take their neck rubs and offer nothing in return, aside from maybe a good night."

Eugene blinked. "That doesn't seem very fair!"

"There you go!" Ancel replied cheerfully, dusting his hands together like he'd just completed a task. "You believe in fairness even when it comes at your own expense; I believe that makes you most excellently suited to marriage!"

Eugene perked up. "So it'd be okay to ask her soon, then? I was kind of hoping I could do it on the last day of the Solstice Festival." Today was the first; that left four days of spotlight for the newlyweds. Surely that was enough? 

"I think that would be perfect!" Ancel agreed with a grin. Then his eyes widened. "Oh! I was so wrapped up in my wedding, I completely forgot! Father told me to tell you that the items you ordered would be ready ... well, he said in four days, but that was two days ago, so two more days. I assumed they were all Solstice gifts, but under the circumstances ...?" He raised a speculative brow.

Eugene smiled bashfully, ducking his head. "One's an engagement ring, yeah." He straightened up then. "First thing's first, though; time to get you hitched, boyo."

And time to figure out how I'm going to ask her this time....

...oOo... (+)  
Rapunzel had imagined a much more pleasant Midwinter Festival than this.

Unfortunately, on the night of Idella and Ancel's wedding, Rapunzel had been introduced to Prince Cuthbert. He was handsome, she supposed, but it wasn't like she cared either way; she had Eugene, who exceeded the prince's good looks and supposed charm as much as the sun outshone the moon. The problem was, the prince liked her a whole lot more than she liked him, and as their kingdoms were in trade negotiations right now, she had to play nice and resist the urge to stomp harder and more frequently on his foot than she already was (under the pretense that she was clumsy, which was possibly the biggest lie she'd ever told).

Eugene had put on a brave smile at the start of that evening, and pretended to be fine with her having a different dance partner, but by the end of the night, he was glowering at Cuthbert in such a way that made Rapunzel very glad looks couldn't really kill, or else there probably would have been an international incident. Eugene was also fall-down drunk by then, courtesy of their thuggy friends.

Thankfully, while Ancel (understandably) wasn't around to get Eugene to bed, Max and Pascal were. (And it served Eugene right to have to sleep in his clothes, for overindulging!) It occurred to her, as she prepared for bed herself, that this was the first night they hadn't gone through their routine. They hadn't even said goodnight to each other!

Rapunzel told herself it was happiness for Idella, and the fact that she would miss her friend while the girl was on her honeymoon (never mind that Idella wasn't leaving until the celebrations were over), that caused her to cry herself to sleep.

The next day, Rapunzel found herself less than sympathetic about Eugene's hangover. While part of her felt she was overreacting, she couldn't seem to even bring herself to speak to him — which was probably for the best, lest she say something she regret.

Unfortunately, for both of them, Eugene didn't prove to be so wise.

"Why are you mad at me? You're the one who spent the whole night dancing with some other guy!" he snapped finally, apparently tired of her giving him he silent treatment.

Rapunzel felt her eyes sting and her throat close, and wished she could blame it on allergies. Why was it that being angry often made her cry, even if she was nowhere near sad? Gothel had always called her weak over it. "You think I wanted to dance with that jerk all night?"

"You seemed pretty happy too, yeah!"

"I was being polite." She smacked his arm with one of the scrolls she had been looking over, for emphasis. "I wanted to dance with you — why are you blaming me for court etiquette? I didn't write it, and I certainly didn't enjoy him stepping on my toes!" A feat Cuthbert had managed by accident even more often than Rapunzel had done on purpose. "And when I was finally free to be with you, you were too drunk to care!" About me she tagged on mentally, not able to bring herself to say the words aloud.

"Now that was not my fault," Eugene began.

"Oh?" she cut him off. "And whose fault was it, Eugene — the beer's?" Rapunzel didn't like what was coming out of her mouth; it was just like she'd feared. Afraid she would say something worse, she left the table, not waiting for a reply.

She heard Eugene scoot his chair back, heard him call after her, but he didn't follow. That fact hurt as bad as when she'd once seen him float off in a boat with her crown — and without her. She just wished she could blame his not following on ropes tying him down again ....

o=[======> (+)  
Eugene had hated the prince from the moment he'd laid eyes on the man. Cuthbert was too pompous, too conceited, too ... pretty.

Too much like Eugene, really.

Well, too much like Flynn Rider, anyway. The man was up to something, he could sense it. The way the guy looked at Rapunzel ... Eugene knew that look. It was like a shark. Eugene had caught sight of himself in mirrors more than a few times when he'd been going after a female mark. The memory made him as ill now as it had thrilled him back then.

Of course, there was no way Cutthroat could be anywhere near as good at charming the ladies as Flynn had been — the prince was pretty, not handsome, and there was a world of difference, Eugene felt. And besides, Rapunzel wasn't nearly so naive as she'd once been, had learned a lot since coming out of her near-literal shell, and she's always been smart. He should have known better than to think she was at all charmed by the newcomer.

So why did watching them together fill him with such unease?

Maybe it was just the pre-proposal jitters. He wanted to propose in a few days, but he still hadn't come up with a way to do it that would give them warm, happy memories for years to come — not to mention convince her that yes, he really did love and want to marry her, that he wasn't playing copycat to Ancel or feeling pressured. Part of him thought maybe he should wait a while longer anyway, but apparently there were others who had not gotten Rapunzel's whole "let Ancel and Idella have the spotlight" memo, because seven other men had proposed to their beloveds since the Autumn Harvest! If Eugene had to wait for everyone to both propose and get married, it would never happen for him and Rapunzel! It'd be had to be enough that no one else proposed to someone on the same day — at least, not before he did.

Especially since Eugene had screwed up big-time, he knew it, and a screw-up that big required a big-time apology. Apologies of this nature required romance, and what could be more romantic than a proposal, right? And so he'd spent the rest of the day after breakfast scouring the kingdom for the biggest of everything romantic he could find, figuring the larger the items, the larger it showed his love to be.

The private dining room was now filled practically to bursting with a giant, seven-tiered cake; candy canes, nutcrackers, and plush toys as tall as he was — in some cases, taller; wreaths big enough to walk through; and a tree so big that the top of it was bent over, with the star dangling from it. In retrospect, later, he probably knew, deep down, that he was going about things all wrong. If he hadn't known, then he would have enlisted Ancel, Idella, Max, and Pascal to help him; the fact that he didn't suggested that he knew they wouldn't approve. Instead, he'd asked the thugs, explaining that Rapunzel was angry with him for getting drunk the night before; as he suspected, the thugs in turn felt guilty for their part in inebriating him and were only too eager to help. This included Hans leading Rapunzel to the dining hall, which Eugene was afraid she would avoid in the hopes of avoiding him.

His heart thumped like his breastbone was a door it was trying to knock down. Eugene watched Rapunzel like a hawk as she took in the room's transformation. The look on her face — one brow raised in disbelief and something of a wince in her eyes and mouth — was not the one he'd been hoping for. He supposed he should have been somewhat relieved when she traded that look for one of bemusement, but somehow it just hurt instead.

Then her eyes fell on his hand, which held a small box of an unmistakable variety.

"Oh .... Oh, Eugene," she sighed with a sad smile. "Is that why you didn't follow me after breakfast?"

He blinked in surprise. "You wanted me to? I-I thought you wanted to get away from me for a while ...." He rubbed that back of his neck, chagrined. Wasn't that why she'd left? Why couldn't girls just say what they wanted?

It was her turn to look surprised and awkward. "You were just doing what it seemed like I wanted — giving me space," she remarked with a soft smile. It seemed like she was talking to herself, not him. "Eugene ... all of this ..." she gestured to the elephantine objects in the room, "were you planning it before I got angry, or after?"

"A bit of both, actually. This before," he held up the ring box, "and the rest after."

She pursed her lips and glanced at the ground, looking miserable. "Not like this," she murmured, shaking her head. "Not as a 'present', not as an apology, and especially not because some other guy was paying attention to me."

Eugene had never wished harder for the earth beneath him to suddenly open and swallow him up. Of course she wouldn't want the memory of their engagement stained by the memory of their first big fight! It was Harvest Night all over again, him trying to propose because it seemed like he should — be it as a Solstice gift or as atonement or as a territorial claim — rather than for the sake of the proposal itself. He ducked his head and stuffed the box in his pocket, ashamed.

The next thing he knew, Rapunzel's arms were around him, her cheek pressed against his tunic. His own arms closed reflexively around her, and he rested his own cheek atop her head. His sadness faded from a deep wound to a healed-over ache.

That apparently wasn't the case for Rapunzel, though.

She sniffed, and he realised she was crying. "I'm sorry, Eugene — I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. I shouldn't ever want you not to have a good time with our friends, and I can't blame you for being jealous. I wouldn't have liked it if you'd danced with some other princess all night either."

"And I should have been more understanding," Eugene replied. "I kept seeing him instead of seeing you. I know you love me; I shouldn't have figured you'd be so easily swayed away by some pretty face. I just ... I'm the first guy you met, and ...."

"And I'm lucky that the first I met is the one for me," she replied, smiling up at him. "Come on, it's not like I've been locked away in another tower since then. It's been six months — I've met plenty of other guys since then. If I wanted to be with a Cuthbert, I would be, but I don't. And by the way, I really have to question your taste in men, because Cuthbert's not pretty."

Hans chuckled just then, reminding them that he was still there — as were the rest of the thugs. Hans blushed under Eugene and Rapunzel's gaze. "Ah, we're sorry too," he said. "We promise not to try to drown your boyfriend's sorrows with booze next time. We kept fillin' up his stein when he wasn't lookin', whether it was close to empty or not."

Eugene sighed ruefully. "Well, that's a relief. And here I'd thought I'd become a lightweight!" He glanced down at Rapunzel, who was scowling at the thugs. Feeling sorry for the guys, who had really just been trying to help him out, he tried to take the heat off of them. "Look, you were right before: it was my own fault. Just because they kept refilling the stein doesn't mean I wasn't responsible for knowing my own body. I didn't need to drink myself into idiocy, especially since I did it because I was upset when I had no real reason to be." Even if she did come to decide she liked Cuthbert or anyone else better than me, she has a right to like whomever she wants to, he added to himself. "So I promise from now on not to get jealous or give you a hard time over doing your duty."

"And I promise the same thing — and not to get angry if you overindulge sometimes," she added. "I'm not even really sure why I got so angry in the first place."

"Because nobody likes being around a fool, and he's fool enough when sober, much less drunk?" Hans suggested.

"Hans!" Rapunzel glared at the thug. "Eugene isn't a fool!"

Eugene shrugged the tease off, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe not all the time, but enough of it — and especially last night. When the man's right, he's right."


	3. Valentine's Day

o=[======> (+)  
Eugene had learned his lesson — no more "marriage proposal as a present" schemes. And so he both planned and expected Valentine's Day to be just a sweet, romantic evening, nothing more.

Later, he would muse that, if he was going to stay happy, he really needed to lower the bar on his expectations ....

After a while, as he and Rapunzel snuggled together in a carriage pulled by Maximus, Eugene suddenly realised that they weren't headed towards the restaurant he'd chosen. "Uh ... Max? Where are we going?"

The horse — and the chameleon on the gelding's shoulder — just gave him a knowing look.

"Yoooou'll seeeeee," Rapunzel sing-songed with a mischievous smile.

It turned out they were going to the Ugly Duckling, the pub where they'd met Hans, Big Nose, Vladimir, and the other thugs. It seemed Rapunzel had planned a romantic evening for them herself — and Max had decided hers would be the better evening. So had Ancel and Idella, who were also there, and were likewise served by the thugs. (Ancel assured Eugene that the people that Eugene had made his own arrangements with knew that the plans had changed — and received a bonus for the cancellation.)

Really, who was Eugene to argue? The food (which he suspected was not actualy made by the pub) was good; Tor had brought so many flowers in, the usual "brown" smell was overpowered; and the music Hans and his band provided was beautiful and romantic. And hey, if Eugene and Rapunzel were sharing the day with friends rather than alone, well ... hadn't Rapunzel spent enough of her life mostly alone? So while it wasn't exactly the romantic evening Eugene had planned, the important thing was Rapunzel was happy, and that made Eugene happy in turn.

At least until someone unexpected arrived.

"Well, isn't this a romantic little scene," came a long-forgotten voice over his shoulder.

Eugene choked on a mouthful of cupcake.

"Really pulling out all the stops, aren't you, Flynn?" the voice continued.

"I'm sorry, but ... who are you?" Rapunzel asked with a tight smile, clearly annoyed.

"Oh, pardon my manners! I'm Dora — Flynn's wife."

The room grew utterly soundless, while Rapunzel's irritated smile grew brittle.

"We were never actually married," Eugene pointed out, knowing he was doomed anyway. 

"Oh no, that's right, the officiate was a friend of your with no legal jurisdiction whatsoever," Dora replied with false sweetness. "You just told me that we were getting married so that you could clean me out of my inheritance," she finished through clenched teeth. "I've been searching for you for years in the hopes of getting my money back — or at least bringing you to justice. And then I get here and discover you're pulling the same scam on an even bigger fish. Imagine that."

Eugene got to his feet, not meeting Rapunzel's eyes but meeting Dora's head-on. "She has some inkling of my past already, and she's actually turned down my proposal of marriage twice." Eugene ignored the inhalations of surprise from the thugs. "But by all means, fill her in on any points she might be missing; if you can convince her that I'm the monster you think I am and not the man she believes me to be, then I'll walk myself to the gallows. Either way, I'll return to you the money I took, with interest." He still had most of several months' worth of wages from his time as the king's assistant left, after all.

Thing was, while he knew things had been a bit more complicated than Dora made them out to be, and Rapunzel's family and the people of Corona had helped him to believe he could be better than he'd been back then, there was still part of him that believed that he owed some people, like Dora, justice. But another part of him believed he would better pay that justice by living a good life henceforth, rather than dying. He supposed it was up to the people he'd wronged, though, to decide if that would truly be enough.

Rapunzel said nothing as Dora sat beside her and began the sordid yarn of how Flynn Rider had painted himself a gentleman of means, married her, and "invested" her dowry, only to disappear a short while later.

"And what have you to say on the matter, Eugene?" Rapunzel asked, her eyes still on Dora.

"Nothing that hasn't already been said. She was rich, and I wanted her money, end of story."

"You mean you and Reynard wanted her money," Rapunzel corrected.

"Tomato, tomahto," Eugene replied. "I still used her and broke her heart. And she wasn't exactly the first. Maybe she won't be the last. I need some air while you decide." With that, he stood up and walked out.

...oOo... (+)  
Rapunzel wanted to follow after Eugene, but she needed to take care of this Dora person first. She went into Princess-mode. "I'm truly sorry for what Flynn Rider did to you — you have every right and reason to hate him, and I'm not going to make excuses. But the man that just walked out? That man was Eugene Fitzherbert, a man who risked his life for me and abhors the criminal actions of Flynn Rider. My father, the king, decided that more good could be served by Eugene acting on his guilty conscience and spending the rest of his life trying to do good to make up for the bad, rather than just ending his life outright. As disappointed I am to hear about this other chapter of Flynn's history, I have not been swayed from my agreement with my father's decision. Further, though I know Flynn was capable of some terrible things, I sense that there's more to the story than what you've said."

"Is this you?" Attila asked, holding up a wanted poster with Dora's face on it.

Rapunzel blinked in surprise. When she'd said she thought there was more to the story, that wasn't what she'd had in mind! Curious, she snagged the paper from Attila. "Let's see ... according to this, you're wanted for pick-pocketing, larceny, and running cons!" Rapunzel glanced back at the woman, baffled.

"Takes one to know one, I suppose," Dora shrugged. "The game I ran the most was similar to yours — I presented myself as a long-lost child to wealthy parents."

Rapunzel leapt to her feet, furious; Pascal, on her shoulder, shimmered like fire. "I'm not running a con!"

"She isn't," Killer promised menacingly. "All you have to do is see her and her parents together to believe she's the real deal."

Dora rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, she's not a con. I was — and I was pretty good at it, too."

"Not now?" Big Nose asked, the sneer on his face doubly noticeable.

"If I'm still running cons, you'll have to catch me in the act to even know," Dora replied with a self-satisfied grin (one that reminded Rapunzel eerily of Idella's cat after the thing had eaten an entire flock of caged finches). "At any rate," Dora continued, "Reynard had apparently heard about me, and decided that he would pit himself and his protégé against me as a challenge. I was good; they were masters. Believing him a true man of wealth, I thought I was going to take Flynn for a ride, have him be my meal ticket for a while. And when, just before we were married, he mentioned a possible investment that could turn what we both had into an even greater fortune, I figured why not? I could take it all later — if I even wanted to. He was a charmer, though, and the longer I spent with him, while he courted me, the less I wanted to ever leave his side. You know now how well that panned out for me."

Rapunzel studied the woman for a moment, making a decision.

"Come work for us," the princess said finally.

A collective gasp made its way around the room. Pascal's expression seemed to ask if Rapunzel knew what she was doing.

Dora gave her a look that clearly said the woman thought her mad. "Why should I do that? For that matter, why should you want me to?"

"To answer the first question, because you won't see a red cent from us otherwise."

"Flynn said he would pay me! He owes me!" Dora protested.

"I suspect he doesn't know the truth about the money he took from you — that it actually belonged to someone else. The first task of your new job — no, the second, will be for you to track down the people you swindled that dowry from and return what you took. To that end, you will be accompanied by several of my friends." Rapunzel gestured to the thugs.

"If I refuse?" Dora asked, folding her arms.

"Then you'll spend the rest of your life in our prison," Rapunzel replied, snapping her fingers.

Max came to stand behind the woman, and some of the thugs surrounded her. Pascal folded his own little arms as Dora let hers fall, and nodded in satisfaction.

Dora swallowed hard. "What's the first job?"

"To tell me your story," Rapunzel replied. "I know how Eugene became Flynn, and I know how he became Eugene again. I know, too, how my rough friends here came to be so, and how they became big softies. If I am to know your story's end someday, sooner or later, I'd like to know how it began."

Dora looked all the warier. "Which brings us back to why do you want me to work for you?"

"Because giving you an honest means of earning money is better than having to put you up in our prison, where you'd get to mooch off us for the rest of your life — until we stain our hands with your blood, of course," Rapunzel pointed out with her best rendition of Dora's own falsely sweet tones.

"Point taken," Dora deadpanned.

"I certainly hope so. Clever as you are, it wouldn't be wise to try to escape from my friends on your journey. Especially since, if you do as I ask and return, you'd be coming back to a life of comfort and security. "

"Well, maybe I like to live a little dangerously!" Dora replied petulantly. 

Rapunzel exchanged a bemused look with Pascal and shrugged. "We could always use a good spy — and at least you'd be assured of a wage rather than just hoping for a payoff."

Dora pursed her lips, thoughtful. "So Flynn'd be my meal ticket after all?"

Rapunzel scowled warningly, and Pascal turned a dangerous red. "Eugene would be, yes — as would I and all the court, provided we feel you are earning your keep. And Dora? A meal ticket is all he will be to you."

Dora didn't hide her disappointment, but still nodded. 

"So what say you?" Rapunzel asked. "Do you want to try using your powers for good?"

Dora shrugged. "Seeing as the alternatives are the hangman's noose or an axe to the neck, and I don't really see those as viable options, I suppose so. Although, I feel I should point out that 'greater good' is relative."

"I'll settle for what I, as your employer, would consider to be the greater good," Rapunzel replied dryly. "Enjoy the food — consider it your starting bonus. Max, you're with me."

And with that, Rapunzel hurried after Eugene. When she realised he wasn't right outside, she had Max trott out ahead of her to play bloodhound and find her love.

o=[======> (+)  
"So what's the verdict?" Eugene asked as he heard Max and Rapunzel draw near; he didn't bother to turn around or stop, just kept up his slow walk, not even sure where he was going, save for that it wasn't towards the city.

"You even need to ask?" Rapunzel replied, sounding hurt.

He quickly stopped and turned, alarmed. He hadn't meant at all to make her feel bad! "You're right, I don't need to. I'm sorry, I guess I've just been throwing myself a pity party out here, and I ..." He shrugged, at a loss.

She came to stand just before him. "Am I invited to this party?" she gently teased.

He reached out and brushed her hair back, smiling ruefully. "Always. But I can't promise it'll be any fun."

She slipped her arms around him, resting her cheek against his chest, her warmth soaking into him. He let himself just bask in the feel of her it for a moment, forgetting everything beyond the present, in either direction. But a moment was all he would indulge in.

"I understand what you and your parents mean about how it's better for me to do my best to live a good life henceforth instead of wallowing in guilt over the past. But still ... I also have to live with what I've done. You don't. And you don't know all of my crimes. I don't even remember all of them."

"And you feel like I should hate you for it," Rapunzel guessed, voice quiet and brimming with understanding, despite her many years kept from society. She might not know his history so well, but somehow she'd come to know the working of his mind and heart anyway.

She amazed him.

"You're afraid that I'm blinded by the 'you' I know now," she went on, "but that one day I'll ... wake up or something, that I'll meet another person from your past, one with a story that will be too much for me, and I won't be able to bear being with you anymore."

He nodded to the ground.

"I know that even if the things you've done were never as bad as Reynard, they were still wrong, that even if you paid your victims back what you stole, that won't magically erase or make better the hardships, however insignificant or grand, that they may have suffered because of what you did. I'm not trying to ignore or deny those things, even if you did do something really terrible that I don't know about and couldn't imagine you doing. But think about why it's so hard for me to imagine those things: it's because I know who you are now, and I'm confident that this you will never do anything like that again. You're right, those things shouldn't be forgotten, but if you let it weigh you down so much that you can't function, then those bad things will have twice the chance to bring misery! You shouldn't forget the good you've done either — or the good you may yet do. The bad in your life can't erase the good of it any more than the good can erase the bad."

He saw her logic, but feelings had nothing to do with logic. The night's reminder of his awful history still brought him down; the best he could offer her was a wan smile. "I don't think I can stop thinking that you deserve better than me. Someone who hasn't done any of the bad."

"And also hasn't done the good. Didn't risk his life to save mine, or that of a little girl down at the docks. Besides, I think I should have the final say in who I love, don't you agree? And if you claim that my love is borne out of a sense of obligation, Eugene, I will pull your chin-hairs so hard that they will never grow back," she added with a sly smile.

"You wouldn't do that — you like my beard!" Eugene retorted with a smirk, finding a little of his old spark again. It was hard to stay low when Rapunzel was so bent on raising him up. 

"So don't give me a reason to deprive myself," she laughingly commanded, cutting off any reply he might have with a kiss.

After a little while, Max whickered, reminding them that he was there — and to breathe. Pascal was just a pair of knowing eyes floating above the horse's head. 

They jumped apart, and Max gave a horsey chuckle before gesturing to his saddle. Eugene helped Rapunzel into it, then pulled himself up behind her, enjoying the excuse to bury his nose in her hair. There were no flowers in it, but her own scent was better than any flower anyway.

After a few minutes of silent riding, Rapunzel suddenly grew stiff in his arms; he likewise tensed, looking about for danger.

"Oh, um ... I ... did something," she began nervously. "As Princess, mind, but I think I should have talked to you about it first."

He wasn't sure he was relieved that her fear was aimed in his direction. "I trust your judgement," he assured her. 

"Well, you might change your mind after I tell you ... I hired Dora as a spy."

It was the word "hire" that got him first, his stomach lurching at the thought of this woman from his past being around on a permanent basis. He'd hoped never to see her again after he'd paid her back! Still, he supposed he deserved worse.

Then the word "spy" registered.

"A spy?? Why would you hire her for that? "

"Well, I figure a con artist would be a natural at that sort of thing. Besides, either it's that or throw her in jail, and—"

"Con artist? Rapunzel, she wasn't lying about me having cheated her—"

"I know."

"Then why do you think she's a con?"

"She confessed." And Rapunzel proceeded to tell him just what Dora's confession was. "So now that you know you were cheating a cheat, do you feel any better?"

He thought about it. "Not really," he answered finally. "I didn't know she was a crook when I committed the crime. It's my intent that matters to me — not hers."

Rapunzel reached up and put one arm around his neck, in an awkward hug. "I thought as much — that's part of why I love you. Now, are you going to tell me the rest of it?"

"Rest of what?"

"You were holding something back when she told the initial story — something you didn't want her to know about. Or me."

He boggled at the back of Rapunzel's head. "How do you do that?" When she didn't answer, he sighed. "All right, all right. Until Dora, I'd only ever just momentarily charmed noblewomen and picked jewels off them, or used them to run a quick con on someone else. Dora was the only one I'd ever run that particular con on, and I didn't exactly do it according to Reynard's plan."

"I thought as much. You were supposed to kill her, weren't you?"

Eugene nodded, then remembered she couldn't see him, sitting behind her as he was. "When he'd run that con himself, playing the groom, he'd always murder the woman, find and kill a vagrant of a similar build as himself, place that body in the house he and his wife had shared, and burn it to the ground. He'd also leave some half-burned paperwork in the ruins, to show that the bulk of the happy couple's money had been legitimately given out as an investment, leaving just enough coin on the bodies and around the house so that, if they'd lived, they would still live comfortably until there was a return on the investment."

"So it would look like it had to have been an accident, and so no one would even think to come after him or the money," Rapunzel reckoned.

"And the key witness to the theft — the wife — couldn't report the crime," Eugene finished. "When I ran the scam, though, obviously I couldn't bring myself to kill Dora, much less some hapless fellow on the street. Believing that Reynard to have already gone on to another con, I simply took the money and left. Turned out it was a test — and I'd failed. That was shortly before he and I got separated."

"Thank goodness you did! Otherwise, when you didn't kill the next mark, I bet Reynard would have killed you."

Eugene only wished he was as certain as Rapunzel that he wouldn't have killed the next mark in order to save his own skin.


	4. Intermission

...oOo... (+)  
Lady Sofia got married about a month after Valentine's Day, during the Spring Equinox; two months later, her marriage was already having serious problems.

"You were right, Regina: once a man gets what he wants, he stops wanting it," Sofia sniffed as Rapunzel patted her hand.

Rapunzel didn't think that was true of all men — it was clear that Mallie and Linfred loved one another still, over twenty years after their own nuptials. And while Ancel and Idella hadn't been married long, they had at least married before Sophia, yet still seemed blissfully happy. Rapunzel believed that she and Eugene could have a lasting love like those ... couldn't they?

But Ancel and Idella had known one another for many years before their marriage, and Mallie and Linfred almost as long. With only six months of courtship, perhaps Sofia hadn't known her own suitor long enough to tell if they would be happy together when she'd agreed to marry him.

Rapunzel and Eugene had met just before her birthday, which just a month away; did they know each other well enough? Would he dump her as soon as he'd won her, like Sofia's husband? She didn't believe so, but then, neither had Sofia believed that about her guy.

In any case, getting to know one another better seemed a reasonable excuse for continuing to turn down his proposals, but would he think so? She'd turned him down three times more since the Winter Solstice—actually, she'd managed to interrupt his attempts before he'd even managed to ask the question, avoiding the issue altogether. But how many times could she risk doing that before he gave up on their relationship entirely?

Could she just tell him about the curse that said her parents would die if they married? Even thinking about it, she thought it sounded ridiculous, but how could she risk their lives, no matter how unlikely their deaths were?

What was more important to her, life with Eugene or the lives of her parents?

"I don't know what you're so upset about," Regina chided Sofia. "Yours was a political marriage first and foremost anyway; it's not like anyone expects either of you to stay faithful or anything. You just have to learn how to pay the game, is all." And Regina proceeded to give them all pointers on how to both enjoy themselves and avoid scandals.

Rapunzel suddenly wondered if she was taking her relationship with Eugene, the fact that she had a man she loved and trusted, for granted. The thing was, though, would marriage make their relationship better or worse — or would it not really be any different? Did they really have to marry at all? 

o=[======> (+)  
Since they had guests that night, Gregory the seneschal was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. Eugene had come into the kitchen for a snack, when he'd heard the man mention to another servant the need to ask Rapunzel a question. Snagging a pair of apples, one for himself and one to bring to Max, Eugene volunteered to do the asking, happy for an excuse to see his lady-love. 

He was still about a hundred feet behind Rapunzel and her guests, who were sitting outdoors, when he heard one of them, Regina (whom he did not like very well), speak.

"So what about you, Rampion?" Regina was asking.

"What about me?" Rapunzel replied.

"How long are you going to play with your little lover-boy? Surely you've met plenty of far more worthy suitors? Don't you think it's kind of cruel, making him believe that he might be your husband one day?"

Pascal noticed Eugene just then, and tugged on Rapunzel's pixie-mane just as she was about to answer; surprise stole whatever she'd been about to say away.

Eugene quickly debated whether to pretend he hadn't heard the question or not, and decided in favour of feigning ignorance. Even if it was true, it wasn't like Rapunzel would admit that it was, now that he was there, so what would be the point in confronting her about it?

He maintained a mask of pleasantness as he approached. "Sweetie, Gregory was wondering if you and our guests would prefer pork, duck, or goose?"

"Duck, darling," Regina weighed in.

"Sofia? Maureen? Therese?" Rapunzel asked her other companions.

"Duck's fine with me," Therese answered, Maureen and Sofia nodding.

Eugene noted Sofia looking miserable, her eyes red. He considered asking her if she was all right, but didn't want to embarrass her, figuring her friends here were surely trying to help her already.

Besides, he had other things to think about.

o=[======> (+)  
"Gregory, do you know of any reason for Lady Sofia to be upset?" Eugene quietly asked after reporting on the desired menu. After fretting all the way to the kitchen over the question Regina's posed to Rapunzel, he'd decided he could use a distraction after all.

Gregory glanced about, making certain that no one else in the kitchen was listening, before revealing in confidential tones the rumours flying around that Sofia's husband was seeking affections elsewhere than with his wife.

Eugene understood that some people had more ... open relationships than others, and that some marriages were only for show, but he reckoned that, in those cases, both parties went into the situation with their eyes open and, if they were smart, certain details worked out ahead of time. Making a promise to love and cherish someone who obviously expected you to keep that promise, however, was something else altogether — it was basically a con, if you didn't intend to keep that promise. Eugene himself had broken such a promise to Dora (well, thought he had, and in the end, that was all that mattered), but he would never break such a promise again.

Thinking about it, he decided that he couldn't just stand by and watch someone else break that promise, either — not if it meant letting a good heart be broken in the process. But what to do about it?

o=[======> (+)   
At dinner that night, Eugene noted Rapunzel glaring at one of the men sitting just past Sofia, who herself was about three seats down on the opposite side of the table; Eugene reckoned that the man, whom he'd heard referred to as Boyd, must be Sofia's husband.

"Lady Sofia, might I trouble you for the salt?" Eugene asked the woman, who readily obliged. Satisfied that he could be heard by her — and therefore by Boyd — without raising his voice much at all, Eugene then addressed the King. 

"Your Majesty, I've come across a troubling case, and I was hoping I could get your input."

Linfred looked up. "Of course, my boy." Eugene noted the king speaking a little louder than he normally would, and gave the man a slight nod. They didn't generally talk work at the dinner table; clearly Linfred understood that Eugene wished to make a point to someone present.

"Well, it's it seems that a nobleman may have been unfaithful to his wife. Laws on such activities vary some from place to place. What would the ruling be here?" Eugene asked.

He couldn't see Boyd very well, what with his eyes on Linfred, but it seemed to Eugene that movement and sound in his peripheral, from that general direction, had paused.

"In the eyes of the court, unless one has obtained the permission of one's spouse, one should dissolve one's marriage before seeking affection elsewhere," the king replied. "Therefore, if found guilty of acting against one's vow of marriage, a noble would then be stripped of their title for dishonourable conduct, and all the noble's property would go to the wronged spouse. Likewise if there were evidence that permission was only given under coercion. You know, we have another interesting law, that's somewhat related," he added. "If a person should happen to die under suspicious circumstances, all the wealth that person brought to the marriage would revert to either their children, their parents, or to the local orphanage, rather than their spouse. Of course, if we could prove the spouse was behind the death, that would be moot, since we would then hang the person," Linfred finished darkly.

Eugene stifled a laugh of triumph with a dinner roll. Not only had the king warned Boyd to either be faithful or set Sofia free with an annulment (which would mean the man would forfeit her dowry, what Eugene suspected that the man had married her for in the first place), but Linfred had also warned the man that no harm could come to Sofia without Boyd facing dire consequences! Things had worked out even better than Eugene had hoped!

He glanced at Rapunzel out of the corner of his eye and found her glancing back at him, with a smirk on her face. She wrapped her arms around his, then laid her head on his shoulder, snuggling up to him.

Yessiree, things were getting better by the second!

...oOo... (-)  
Rapunzel had been mightily impressed by Eugene's manoeuvring at the dinner table; she couldn't help but beam at him over it. Yet even as she was brimming with pride towards him, there was a nagging worry. How much had he heard of the conversation that afternoon? Had he heard Sofia's story then, or had he learned of the woman's situation as a rumour from someone else?

As much as she hated gossip, she was hoping for the latter. If it was the former, then he would have had to have heard Regina's awful question. Rapunzel half wished Pascal hadn't alerted her to Eugene's presence, so she could have answered — and then Eugene would have known it for truth because she would have said it without knowing he was there!

But Eugene seemed happy enough as they sat there in his room, him massaging her feet. Perhaps she was worrying over nothing.

"Marry me," he said out of the blue.

All right, so maybe she had reason to worry after all.

She studied him for a long moment, him studying her back. "You're only asking because you overheard us," she decided finally.

"Not only because of that!" he protested.

"Do you really think what Regina said is true?" she asked, hurt even despite having feared he'd reach that very conclusion.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't want to, and I don't think you'd do it on purpose, but what am I supposed to think when you keep saying no to marrying me?"

She wanted to interrupt, but she hadn't yet found the words — or the nerve — to explain herself on that count.

"I know what you said about not caring about my past," he continued, "but ... after what's happened with Sofia, and considering what I did to Dora ... what if, deep down, there's a part of you that is wary. I mean, you'd have good reason to be! But if that's the case, then we need to face that! We need to decide—"

There was a knock at the door just then. "Begging your pardon, milord and milady," came Ancel's voice, muffled by the wood but sounding urgent, "but there's a ... situation with the ladies Sofia and Regina and Lord Boyd. The king and queen are out — we've sent a runner to fetch them, but in the meantime, everyone is hoping that you two might diffuse it."

Sure, if you can help us diffuse our own situation first, Rapunzel thought ruefully. opening the door to him.

Ancel explained that a servant in the guest wing room had heard screaming and yelling and things being broken within one of the rooms. The servant had knocked on the door, and heard Lady Regina yell that Lady Sofia had lost her mind and was threatening her and Lord Boyd. The servant went for help, but no one had been able to open the door — they suspected that something heavy had been knocked over, blocking it.

"This is all my fault," Eugene moaned, suddenly taking off at a run, Rapunzel and Ancel hurrying to keep up.

""How do you figure that?" Rapunzel asked, a little out of breath.

"I basically called Boyd out. He must have said something to Sofia — maybe that he was annulling their marriage so he could be with Regina?"

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions," Rapunzel warned, but even as she said it, she thought Eugene might be right, at least about Regina and Boyd. Regina wasn't the most pleasant of people, selfish and vain — Rapunzel could believe it easily of her, never mind that Sofia was supposed to be the woman's best friend. What she did have trouble believing was the idea of gentle, petite Sofia threatening them — with enough fury that Boyd couldn't manage to restrain her, no less!

The three of them slid to a stop outside the doors of the room, and immediately heard a crash. What on Earth was going on??

"Sofia?" Rapunzel called. "Please open the door and tell me what's going on!"

"I don't need to open the door to tell you — in fact, I shouldn't even need to tell you, period! I mean, isn't it obvious what's happened? I found these two lovebirds in here, arguing about what to do about me. Well, if they're dead, they won't have to worry about it!"

"Sofia, please!" Rapunzel pleaded. "No matter how despicable they are, we can't just let you hurt them! If you do this, we'll have to imprison you — o-or worse!"

"It'll be worth it!" Sofia replied darkly.

"Not to the people who love you, it won't!" Rapunzel countered.

"And how many people is that? I thought my husband loved me! And I loved Regina like a sister, but I guess the feeling wasn't mutual!"

"I hate all my sisters," Regina spat.

Regina, shut it! Rapunzel thought to herself. "Your family loves you, Sofia!I love you like a sister — and I've never had a sister before, so I won't take that for granted! If you take Regina's life, and Boyd's, you'll be putting a greater value on their lives than your own — because yours will then be forfeit!" 

"No, it won't! They tried to attack me! It's self-defense!"

"Liar!" Regina and Boyd said in tandem. As much as she hated to, Rapunzel believed them. And even if she didn't, she'd know the truth soon enough ....

"If I put this crossbow down, they'll gang up on me!" Sofia continued. 

"I swear we wont!" Boyd insisted.

"Like I can trust anything you say!" Sofia snapped.

Rapunzel sighed. "Are any of you injured? Keep in mind that we'll see what state you're in on the way out!"

Three "no"s came from beyond the door.

Rapunzel drew up her shoulders and did her best to sound commanding — or rather, sound like her mother. "Then I'm declaring right now, if any of you are hurt from this moment onward, the opposing party will be held accountable, and that side will be punished accordingly! So it's safe for you to lower your weapon and either let us in or them out, Sofia." And please don't make me carry out my threat .... 

"... I'm sorry, Rapunzel. But I'm not going to be a victim anymore. They both stabbed me in the back; at least I have the decency to return the favour face-to-face!"

Rapunzel hadn't noticed Max's arrival, so it scared her nearly out of her skin when, as Eugene pulled her out of the way, Max's hind-hooves struck the door, shattering it. Before Rapunzel could really register what was going on, Max was leaping through the new opening, into the room beyond. 

The next sound was one of the most horrific Rapunzel had ever heard.

o=[======> (-)  
When they arrived at the door, Eugene was at a loss as to what to do. He didn't exactly have his lock-picking kit with him (though now he was thinking his having given it up to avoid temptation was a mistake). Should he try to shoulder the door down? Somehow he doubted he had the strength. Maybe if they brought a heavy oak table up from the kitchen, but that would take time ....

He didn't have long to think about it, as Rapunzel quickly took charge. Feeling useless, he stood by, watching her work, feeling more than a little pride as she proved herself her parents' child. As he listened, he noted the arrival of Max, the clatter of the horse's hooves muffled by specially-made slippers (as Gregory had requested the gelding start wearing if he was going to be spending a significant amount of time walking around indoors). Max gestured questioningly towards the door and kicked out a hind hoof in demonstration.

Hearing Sofia say she was sorry but she wasn't going to be a victim anymore, Eugene nodded violently, pulling Rapunzel out of the way. He just hoped the breaking of the door didn't startle Sofia into firing the crossbow — or else, if she was firing already, that it caused her aim to go awry!

With seeming impossible speed, Max spun around and launched himself through the doorway. The gelding's hind hooves hadn't even cleared the door frame yet when Max let out a squeal of pain.

Eugene had no memory of coming through the door himself. The next thing he knew, he was at Max's side, the horse writhing against the ground with a bolt in his chest. Eugene laid a hand against his friend's shoulder and tried to hold him down. "Easy, Max — I know it hurts, buddy, but if you struggle, you could hurt—you stay put!" he snarled at Boyd and Regina as the pair tried to ease past behind the fallen horse.

"I'm so sorry!" Sofia sobbed as she fell to her knees and drew the mane out of Max's eyes with a shaking hand. "I didn't mean to! He startled me, and I—"

"Don't you dare blame him," Eugene warned the woman lowly.

"A horse doctor is on the way," Rapunzel told them as she knelt beside Eugene and laid a hand on Max's flank. "You're going to be all right, Max." It was as much a command as a reassurance; the horse nodded weakly. "Pascal?"

The chameleon materialised at Sofia's knee, startling the woman half to death. Eugene didn't feel any sympathy. The lizard scampered onto his usual perch on Rapunzel's shoulder.

"I had him keep an eye on you, to make sure your husband didn't try to hurt you despite my father's warning. Now he will serve as witness at your trial." Rapunzel's voice was harder than Eugene had ever heard it.

"T...trial?" Sofia squeaked, becoming as pale as Max's coat — at least where it wasn't now red. 

"I warned you," Rapunzel said with just a little pity. "This may have been an accident, but it's one that wouldn't have happened if you had put laid down your weapon like I asked you to. If what you say about their affair is true, then it was wrong of them, yes — but it wasn't an offence that warranted their deaths!"

Rapunzel softened a little more. "I meant it when I said love you like a sister, Sofia, but I'm also a princess, and you've forced my hand as a ruler. For now, you're going to cool off in a cell for a while, and then we'll evaluate whether this really is a one-time occurrence, or if you might similarly lose your temper again. I need to know that society would still be safe if we let you back into it — and that you won't go after Boyd or Regina again." She glanced up at an anxious-looking guard. "We still need to determine if Boyd is guilty of being unfaithful. Place him and Sofia in separate cells -- and Regina in a holding cell for questioning. I'll deal with them once I'm certain Maximus is well on the road to recovery." Stone-faced, she ignored the sputtered protests of all three prisoners as they were led away.

The stone crumbled when it was only her, Eugene, Max, and Pascal left in the room. She gently lay her head against Max's flank and wept, Pascal gently hopping off her shoulder onto Max's side and stroking the horse's coat soothingly. Eugene found himself smoothing Rapunzel's hair similarly while keeping a comforting hand on Max's leg. The horse shuddered under their touch. It was only when Eugene heard the spatter of a tear on his tunic that he realised he was crying himself. Where was that blasted veterinarian?

Rapunzel sat up after a moment, wiping a tear from her eye and staring at the wetness on her hand, then down at the wet spot on Max's coat. She sighed heavily, and Eugene suddenly understood that she wasn't just crying: she'd been hoping that her tears might heal Max just as they'd once healed him! Eugene had hoped before that such was no longer possible, for people might then try to kidnap her again, but just this once, he would have rather it had worked. Max was his best friend; he couldn't bear the thought of a world without the horse in it any more than the thought of one without Rapunzel!

At least the gelding didn't seem to be bleeding heavily, but then again, the bleeding might all be internal. A hard shiver went through the horse, and Max snorted in pain. Eugene worried that the horse either really was bleeding internally, or else was getting cold from the shock of the injury. He hurried over to the bed and quickly pulled the blankets off; Rapunzel helped him get the material over their friend, and they huddled against the horse, for added warmth. 

"It's gonna be okay, old buddy," Eugene promised, praying that fate wouldn't turn him (back) into a liar.

Finally, the vet arrived. He brought an attendant with him, as well as a few stable boys and, to Flynn's surprise, some of the extra-burly thugs. Rapunzel took Max's head in her lap, and Eugene helped the rest hold the horse down. The vet gave Max a soporific, then, after waiting a few minutes for it to take effect, began the slow, laborious effort to ease the bolt out, tying hard to maintain the exact path so the barbs would come out as they went in. The drug could only do so much; they struggled to hold Max down even as he sleepily jerked in pain. Finally, the bolt was free, but the vet's work wasn't over: now he had to investigate the wound, clean it, and stitch it up. 

"We were lucky," the man finally said. "The bolt didn't hit any vital organs or major arteries. Still, any puncture wound needs careful cleaning and watching, lest it get septic, and there's a possibility he will have a limp on that side. All we can do now is wait and see. He needs to rest for a week, keep his weight off that area, to heal, then will need to start walking — carefully — to keep the muscles in that area from atrophying. We'll let him sleep off the drug, but in an hour or so we should get him on his feet. Horses shouldn't sleep on their sides for too long, or their digestive system could crush their lungs."

Seeing Rapunzel tense, Eugene winced. Was it really necessary for the man to add the bit about crushing of lungs? Surely just saying that they should get Max up in an hour was enough; the man didn't need to traumatise them all further!

Everyone left the room then, except for Eugene, Rapunzel, Pascal, and, of course, Max. Eugene put an arm around Rapunzel, who still had Max's head in her lap, and rest his cheek in her hair. They both sat there for a long while, patting the horse, waiting for him to wake up.

"I'm so sorry," Eugene said. "If I had just kept my mouth shut at dinner, none of this would have happened." Some Prince Consort he was shaping up to be! If Rapunzel wasn't yet considering replacing him, he wouldn't blame her if she was thinking about it now .... 

Rapunzel shook her head. "Sofia was bound to discover them sooner or later, and the situation might have turned out even worse when she did — someone might have died. Maybe even more than one: not just Boyd, or Regina, but a servant, a guard ...."

"I shouldn't have given Max the okay to go in, though," Eugene sighed.

"You were just trying to prevent her from making a terrible mistake," Rapunzel countered. "You heard what she said, and you had only seconds to act. Max chose his line of work — we all did. That something might happen is a risk we all take, for the good of the kingdom."

Rapunzel paused, and he had a bad feeling about whatever was going through her head. She shook her head again, apparently dismissing what she'd been thinking, and he found himself exhaling a deep breathe he hadn't even realised he was holding.

"Besides," she went on, "we could say it was my fault too, for failing to talk her down. But in the end, Sofia is the one most responsible for her own actions. Although ... I wouldn't mind letting her share the blame with Boyd."

"Or Regina," Eugene agreed with a growl.

Soon after, Linfred and Mallie arrived.

"Oh, the poor dear!" Mallie cried out as she knelt by the brave, wounded steed, petting his velvet nose. The king, too, petted Max while Rapunzel and Eugene explained what happened.

"I think you two should take the week off, stay with Max," Mallie posed. "We can use this chance to train Ancel and Idella some," she added to Linfred. 

For a split second, Eugene thought she was training the pair as back-ups in case he and Rapunzel didn't work out as rulers. Then he realised she meant they needed to train the pair to be his and Rapunzel's secretaries, for when they ruled the kingdom themselves. Well, Rapunzel, anyway.

The king nodded. "And I'll have the court physicians evaluate Sofia, see if they can't determine whether Sofia really poses a threat or this was a momentary lapse in sanity. I'll handle the trial of Boyd as well — and Regina, if it turns out they were conspiring to harm Sofia."

Pascal coughed.

"With your help, of course, my friend."

Pascal nodded, satisfied.

Max whickered then, his eyes fluttering open.

"Hey, buddy! Welcome back to the land of the living!" Eugene greeted him, patting the gelding's shoulder and getting to his feet. Eugene hurried out the door and called out, "Max is awake!"

There was a small stampede as thugs and stablehands hurried down the hall. They laid a heavy blanket over some ropes, carefully rolled Max onto the blanket, lifted him onto his feet. Still holding the blankets and ropes, they half-carried him to the stable, where they tied traded the blankets and ropes for a proper sling for him to rest in. Eugene ordered a hammock be brought in, refusing to leave Max's side; Rapunzel, too, refused to leave, but when the stablehands offered to bring another hammock in, she refused.

"Max can play chaperone, if it bothers you," Rapunzel remarked to the stablehands as she snuggled against Eugene.


	5. Solstice to Solstice

o=[======> (+)  
The one positive thing about the whole ordeal was that it gave them all quite a bit of time to spend together. Rapunzel and Eugene slept in the hammock in the stall for the entire week, checking frequently on Max's wound, keeping it well-cleaned. They played all sorts of games — card games (Pascal would hold the cards and play as a team with Max), board games, guessing games — and sang songs, and told stories. Rapunzel asked questions about some of the many things she'd seen since escaping her tower, and Eugene came to realise that there were some things about life that they all took for granted as being "just the way things are" but were really quite silly when one thought about them.

Eugene didn't bring up the question of his permanence in Rapunzel's life again, and slowly forgot that there was even anything to worry about. He felt like he and Rapunzel were closer than ever.

A week became weeks, as Linfred suggested they stick with Max and help him exercise his leg. The more pressing work they handled in their stable-office-quarters; otherwise, Ancel and Idella proved they would do well as secretaries to Eugene and Rapunzel, taking care of a mountain of less pressing details.

Finally, it was the Summer Solstice — better known in the kingdom of Corona as "Princess Rampion's birthday". Max was well enough then to carry Rapunzel on his back, and so they paraded down the streets, Eugene leading the way on foot. They stopped about every thousand yards, so she could say hello to her subjects (and, secretly, so Max could rest).

Eventually, Eugene surprised her by bringing her to the same dock that they'd launched their little boat from, the year before. In the boat was a bag of apples, which Eugene tossed onto the dock beside Max. Eugene and Rapunzel then hopped back up on the dock and gave Max a hug, which the horse returned as best he could. Pascal opted to keep the horse company this time; Eugene patted the chameleon on the head, since the little guy was too small for a hug, and Rapunzel kissed the lizard's noggin.

Back in the boat, the humans waved goodbye to their animal friends, and Eugene paddled them out to the place where they had watched the lanterns last year. The thousand lanterns the people of the kingdom released this time couldn't outshine the joy in Rapunzel's eyes any better than last year's batch did, Eugene reckoned, but he appreciated the effort all the same. Was their anyone better-loved in all the world than she? He certainly couldn't imagine anyone being more deserving!

Rapunzel's eyes met his, and his heart skipped a beat, like it had the year before. She looked different, but was every bit as beautiful this time — more, even. Like a moth to the flame, she drew him in, her lips burning him pleasantly as they had the kiss they'd missed out on the year before.

Thinking of how they'd been together a year now, and seeing how she still looked at him, Eugene felt the last of his worries about their relationship dissipate.

...oOo... (+)  
Rapunzel would be a liar if she said there wasn't a part of her that wished Eugene had proposed on the night of her birthday. It had been such a romantic night, and there would have been a sweet sense of their relationship having come full circle. Still, she had made it quite clear before then that he was not to propose as a "present," so she appreciated that he'd complied with her wishes, even if she wouldn't have minded, just this once, if he didn't.

Still, she started to worry when months passed without him making another effort. He seemed as affectionate as ever, but did he still want to marry her? Had she scared him off from asking ever? if she asked him, would he say yes because he wanted to marry her, or because he believed she expected him to?

And there was still that pesky matter of the curse, so as much as she wanted to marry him, should couldn't bring herself to encourage him (even if she could figure out how to do that without making him feel obligated to, which she hadn't).

So a few months passed in a sort of limbo, and she couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. She was happy, and he seemed happy, but what if, someday, he wasn't content to be just her boyfriend anymore — and he no longer thought marriage was an option?

Then some dignitaries came for some trade negotiations, and she didn't even have time to worry about her love life.

It was her own doing, though. She wanted to test what she'd learned in the past year, and so she insisted that she be allowed to head the negotiations. Besides, her parents were looking weary, so she thought it was only fair, after the long break that she and Eugene had had during the summer, that her parents get a break now themselves.

She hadn't factored in the fact that she'd be dealing daily with Prince Cuthbert, who apparently was still interested in her.

She also hadn't factored in that Eugene would get it in his head to play diplomat just then, and end up attending a wedding in another kingdom, so that her parents wouldn't have to.

At least Eugene had meant to attend the event with her. It had come as a sad surprise to each of them when they informed one another of their plans. After talking it over, they realised that the wedding really was too important for Eugene to back out of, and the trip too far to expect her under-the-weather parents to go. He also agreed that her parents shouldn't have to handle the summit in their condition either, and that Rapunzel could use the experience. So they said their reluctant goodbyes, before the now-fully-recovered (and limpless!) Max carried Eugene off. At least Rapunzel was satisfied (if their kiss, or the fact that he rode the horse backwards so he could see her as long as possible were reliable indicators) that Eugene didn't want to leave her any more than she wanted him to go.

She spent the next week or so dealing with dignitaries and tedious negotiations while fending off the increasingly loathsome advances of Cuthbert.

Unfortunately, Cuthbert didn't leave when the week and the negotiations were over, nor did Eugene yet return. Custom dictated that Rapunzel, as the host, had to keep her home open to such a distinguished guest for as long as he wished to stay. She was as inhospitable as she felt she could get away with without creating a rift between their kingdoms, but the man couldn't seem to take a hint! Meanwhile, Eugene's hosts, according to his letter, had apparently enjoyed his presence so much that they'd asked him to stay a while longer. As Cuthbert kept increasing the length of his own stay, Eugene's hosts likewise kept lengthening their invitation: the king in that land insisted that they were in desperate need of Eugene's assistance while the recently married prince and his bride travelled through the neighboring kingdom for their honeymoon. Like Rapunzel, Eugene hadn't been able to figure a way out of the situation without offending the other party.

And so almost two months passed, until it was the night of the Solstice, the heart of the Midwinter Festival.

o=[======> (+)  
Dead tired from the long journey home and not feeling very festive, Eugene dragged his feet as he made his way to the hall for the day's feast. The only reason he was going at all was because he hadn't seen Rapunzel yet, and couldn't bear the thought of even one more second apart from her. He wanted to surprise her, too, so he'd asked the few servants he'd run across to not mention to anyone that he and Max had returned.

One of those servants had revealed that "Prince Cumbersome" was still in Corona; that news was largely what had robbed Eugene of his holiday cheer. Well, surely seeing his ladylove would restore that spirit, and chase the weariness from him!

"C'mon, Max," Eugene urged, despite the protest in his own legs. "I know you're tired, but we gotta go 'rescue' our princess from Prince Cutthroat, or whatever the heck his name is."

When they reached the dining hall, Eugene glanced around impatiently for Rapunzel. He didn't have to look hard, though — brass horns bleated on the dais, drawing the attention of the crowd, including Eugene, to where the royal family stood with their royal guest.

"My distinguished hosts and fellow guests," Prince Pompous began, "forgive me for interrupting your pleasantries, but I have something to ask Her Highness, Princess Rampion."

Eugene was entirely sure that his heart had stopped.

The prince turned to Rapunzel and took her hand. "Our kingdoms have long had a strained relationship, but have enjoyed somewhat more peaceable days in recent years, thanks to the hard work of our fathers. I would ask you to help preserve our father's work, and seal the bond between our two countries through a union of our own." He got down on one knee and elegantly flipped open a box.

Eugene could see the rock inside it from all the way over on the other end of the hall. The floor seemed to drop out from under him.

"Princess Rampion, there is surely no more beautiful or intelligent a woman in all the world. Any man would be lucky to have you as his partner, and any kingdom would blessed. For the sake of my kingdom and my heart, I humbly ask for your hand in marriage!"

Eugene didn't even remember leaving the hall. He also didn't remember grabbing a bottle of wine from a passing servant. He wasn't really aware of anything until he walked right into a bannister outside and almost flipped right over it, the bottle falling from his hand and shattering on the cobblestones below. Overbalanced, he started to follow after, and noted that he must have emptied the thing, as there was no puddle of wine beneath the glass remains.

Something yanked him back from the brink just in time, keeping him from eventually cracking his head on the ground like the bottle—and as the world and his stomach tilted crazily for a moment, he wasn't sure that whoever it was had done him any favours.

He found Max behind him; the gelding gave him a concerned whinny.

Wordlessly, save for a slight sob, Eugene threw his arms around the horse, burying his face in Max's white mane. The only sounds were Eugene's hitched and shuddering breaths and Max's sympathetic sighs.

It was over. Eugene had waited too long to propose again, he'd been away too long, and now a real prince had come along and taken his place. He remembered that Rapunzel had claimed not to like the guy, but a lot could happen in two months. Rapunzel had changed Eugene's whole world in less than three days, after all.

"What do I do now?" Eugene asked finally, quietly. His old dream, the one where he was alone and rich, no longer held any appeal for him – nor did the thieving lifestyle he would need to achieve that end. He'd rather be locked up in Rapunzel's old tower forever, provided that Rapunzel was at his side, than live in the finest castle, with all the riches but no her. And as it stood now, he wasn't getting anything — no castle, no riches, and no Rapunzel.

Well, he did have the tower, he supposed. The tower where they'd met, where he'd almost died – where he should have died. He supposed he could finish the job, now that Rapunzel had decided she didn't want him after all. The gift of life she'd given him was nothing but a curse without her.

At least she was free and happy, thanks in part to him and his arrival at the tower. (Twice!) That was enough to ask out of life – he didn't need any more than to have helped her.

His life's purpose clearly fulfilled, he began the long, slow walk to the tower, ignoring the inquisitive pokes of Max's nose and the horse's worried whickering.

He didn't get very far before he found himself falling flat on his face, something heavy suddenly pinning him to the ground.

"Max, get off of me! MAX! BAD HORSE!"

...oOo... (-)  
Oh, you've got to be kidding me! Rapunzel fought the urge to roll her eyes as Prince Cuthbert got down on one knee before her and made his presentation. She desperately wished that she had a frying pan handy, but supposed it was for the best that she didn't. As it was, she was half-afraid that she was about to start a new war between her country and Cuthbert's, just with one little phrase! She looked to her parents for aid. They looked as mortified as she felt. Then each of them gave a little headshake. Relief washed over her; they didn't want her to say "yes" any more than she did! 

"You've caught me by quite by surprise, Prince Cuthbert, and the matter is not one to be taken lightly! I am most honoured by your request — might we discuss the matter further in my father's office?" she managed, proud of herself for her diplomacy.

"The poor dear looks about to faint," Cuthbert announced to the guests, taking her arm.

It took every ounce of strength she had to keep from yanking her arm away from him. She settled for a vicious stomp to his toes once they were in the office, her parents having just barely closed the door behind them.

"How dare you try to strong-arm me like that!" Rapunzel snarled at the prince.

"Strong-arm? My dear, whatever do you mean? How should> I have approached the matter?"

Cuthbert had the nerve to look hurt and baffled; she'd seen him in action enough these past months, especially at the trade summit, to know what a smooth talker and expert manipulator he could be. He was trying to guilt her, and she wouldn't stand for it!

"Oh, I don't know — maybe taken the many refusals I've given you for what they were: refusals! Maybe considered the fact that we hardly even know one another!"

"Oh dear! I must beg forgiveness!" He looked away, but there was no flush of red in his cheeks to mark true embarrassment, despite his words. "I assumed only that you were too busy to get to know me, and thought marriage would alleviate that! I have many cousins who never even met their intended before their marriages, and thought nothing of it. It had not occurred to me that you may have a different custom, save that someone suggested to me that you would not take kindly to me asking your parents for your hand, as is normally done."

Rapunzel had a vague recollection of having said that in Regina's presence. She also noted that he completely ignored her comment about her many refusals.

"The fact of the matter is, I am already engaged!" Rapunzel informed him.

Her parents gasped, and her mother clapped her hands together, beaming. Her father was a little more sedate, but he too looked pleased.

"Then congratulations are in order, it seems." Cuthbert didn't seem the slightest bit sincere. "To whom, may I ask?"

Rapunzel supposed it didn't matter; everyone would know sooner or later, if it wasn't already obvious. "Eugene Fitzherbert." Of course, she hadn't actually said yes yet, but that was an inevitability. She was just hoping to put it off as long as she could — preferably after her parents died of old age.

Cuthbert blinked. "I'm sorry, who?"

She repeated herself.

"I have never heard of the royal line of Fitzherbert, I'm afraid. What kingdom does he hail from?"

She told him the kingdom's name. "But his isn't a royal line," she added, crossing her arms. "Nor was my own mother's, nor my grandmother's. We're not so concerned with lineage here."

Cuthbert snorted. "Yes, I recall — it's why our two kingdoms last went to war, as I understand it. It's a wonder that this land hasn't become like America, with an elected ruler. As if commoners understood enough about politics to make an informed decision."

Rapunzel thought for a moment that the lighting in the room had turned red, then realised it was just angry blood rushing to her father's and mother's faces; she imagined theirs matched her own. On her shoulder, Pascal had become a vibrant red all over.

Rapunzel wasn't even sure that the fact that the prince had been speaking broadly — and therefore arguably included his own subjects in that statement — really made the statement any more acceptable.

A knock at the door prevented any explosions of anger.

"Please pardon the intrusion, Your Majesty," came Ancel's nearly breathless greeting through the wood, "but we have a situation that requires Princess Rampion's immediate attention!"

Rapunzel didn't bother with any farewells — Cuthbert was beneath deserving a reply. She hurriedly opened the door. "Where?" she asked simply.

Ancel took off like a shot, and she raced after him. 

Nodding at a worried-looking guard as they passed, Ancel led her to the courtyard where the citizenry stood to hear addresses by the monarchy. There, Max stood over Eugene, his hooves pinning the fabric of the man's clothes, in various places, to the cobblestones. 

At first, though, Rapunzel did not register this. "Max!" she greeted the gelding happily, racing towards him.

"He's a bad horse!" came Eugene's admonishment, before she reached the horse, and it was then she noted her beloved pinned to the ground. She only got to enjoy her reunion for split-second before realising that there was something very wrong with this scenario.

"What's going on?" she asked the horse.

"I'm freezing, that's what!" Eugene complained.

Max stepped aside, and Ancel and Rapunzel helped the man to his feet, brushing him off.

"Let's get you inside, where it's warm," Rapunzel suggested. "You can explain to me how you got this way as we go."

"I got shoved and then pinned in the slush by a horse!" Eugene muttered.

"And you know as well as I do that Max wouldn't have done that without a reason, so out with it," Rapunzel demanded.

"That's between me and the horse," Eugene insisted.

Max snorted, glaring at the man.

She tried another tactic. "Ancel, how did you come across them?"

"Right after the prince made his ... announcement, I spotted Eugene grabbing a bottle of wine and leaving the party. Thinking that probably didn't bode well, I started to go after him, but I had trouble getting through the crowd, and then I slipped in a puddle in the hallway. I must have blacked out for a bit — Stephen, who had been on guard duty outside, found me. He'd seen Eugene acting like a weepy drunk, nearly falling over a balcony, and how Max eventually pinned him down. Max gestured for him to go get help, and I was the first person he saw. I told him to go back to his post and keep an eye on them, and came to get you myself." 

"Are you all right?" Rapunzel and Eugene asked Ancel in tandem.

"I think so — I'm not dizzy or anything, just a bit sore," Ancel replied.

"Better see the doctor, just to be safe," Rapunzel advised. "Tell Idella I said for her to take the rest of the day off, so she can keep an eye on you."

Ancel hesitated, bowed, and left.

"So I think I can guess what happened pretty well. Too bad you couldn't," Rapunzel grumbled to Eugene, then put her arm around his waist and leaned against him, demonstrating her affection as they resumed walking. "You thought my answer to Cuthbert was 'yes', didn't you?" she sighed.

"I ... I did," he admitted. "I mean, I've been gone so long, I thought ...." He shrugged miserably.

"It seems to me we've had this conversation before," she admonished him gently. She stopped and took his face in her hands. "What is it going to take for you to think as much of yourself as I do?"

His forlorn, whipped-puppy eyes met hers, and every speck of her aggravation with him vanished. He suddenly grew blurry; a moment later tears ran hot down her cheeks before chilling in the cold air. "I've missed you so much!" she wailed.

He started to reply, but she was too impatient to give him the chance, swallowing his words with a kiss.

o=[======> (+)  
"That's a good start," Eugene quipped when Rapunzel finally let him breathe again, then kissed her in turn. "I missed you too," he whispered, a little out of breath, as he rest his forehead against hers. Then he hugged her, eyes closed, burying his nose in her hair. He didn't even need to go inside the palace anymore; being with her was like a warm summer's day.

Opening his eyes, he noted that Max was standing with his head averted, trying to give them some privacy. Eugene smiled fondly. "Someone else missed you too," he told Rapunzel, pulling back and gesturing with his head.

Rapunzel grinned and threw her arms around their horsey companion. Max whickered happily.

"Look, pal, I'm really sorry for being such a pain," Eugene apologised to the gelding, carding Max's mane.

Max lipped Eugene's hair, and the humans laughed.

"So which one is my competition?" came a voice Eugene had hoped to never hear again.

Cuthbert was leaning against the doorway of the closest palace entrance. Eugene was seriously tempted to find another way in, despite how he was starting to lose sensation in his fingers.

"There is no competition, Cuthbert," Rapunzel growled.

"I beg to differ," the man insisted, sauntering over, sizing Eugene up and removing one of his gloves as he did so. "You're her betrothed?" the prince sneered. "I challenge you for Princess Rampion's hand." With that, he smacked Eugene in the face with the glove.

Eugene had been far more gobsmacked by the word "betrothed".

"Excuse me? I choose whom I give my hand to, thank you very much!" Rapunzel snapped back.

"Not if you want to maintain the peace between our lands, you don't," Cuthbert replied.

Even looking disgusted as she was, she was beautiful. "Our kingdoms already went to war over this sort of thing once! Your great-grandmother had the sense to see that the safety of her subjects was more important than her daughter's pride! And besides, your father will never stand for this — he and my father are friends!"

The prince grew somber. "Not anymore, they're not. I just got word this morning: my father is dead."

It felt like the air grew another ten degrees colder, and the wind paused.

"I ... I-I'm sorry to hear that, Prince Cuthbert."

The prince snorted. "I'm not. He was a fool — good riddance! I'll be coronated upon my return — and what better way to start off my reign than with a new bride at my side."

"What was that?" came a thunderous voice from behind the prince; Linfred and Mallie stepped past the man, out of the shadows of the doorway.

With Linfred's usual gentle demeanor, sometimes Eugene forgot the man could be a force to be reckoned with!

Rapunzel quickly summarised the conversation with her parents. Poor Linfred seemed to age a few years on the spot when he learned his friend had died.

"I have to say, I'm baffled that you would want to marry me, considering I despise you now," she added, glaring at Cuthbert.

"And I can promise you, I will not force her to marry you, so the whole matter is pointless," the king added darkly.

"Oh, I'm trusting that, once I soundly defeat her intended, she'll have the sense to take the offer of the winning man — especially since it could mean the deaths of so many if she doesn't. As your friend Sofia learned the hard way, love has nothing to do with marriage. Besides, if this fellow really is such a hero, so worth having, what are you even worried about, my dear?" he added, smirking at Rapunzel. "Surely he will defeat me with ease! So what do you say?"

"Bring it!" Rapunzel growled.

"What she said," Eugene seconded.

The heated glares that followed the prince as he went back inside could, Eugene reckoned, melt an iceberg.

"So, when were you two going to tell us?" Mallie asked.

"Tell you...?" Eugene wondered.

"About your engagement!" Linfred clarified. "When did it happen, anyway? Before you left?"

That's right, Cutthroat said something about me being Rapunzel's betrothed .... Eugene remembered. "Rapunzel never would have stood for that," he mused aloud, understanding dawning. "She would have said I was only asking to make sure no one tried to go after her while I was away."

"And I would have eaten my words now," Rapunzel replied ruefully. "Not that being engaged would have gotten him to leave me alone, apparently."

"So when did you pop the question, then?" Mallie asked Eugene.

"Why do you assume he did it?" Rapunzel pouted.

"You're deflecting," Mallie remarked.

"And besides, I have done it," Eugene pointed out to Rapunzel. "But you've never said yes!"

"What?" the king and queen said, pausing.

"Well, I will someday," Rapunzel hedged, "and I had to tell Cuthbert something. Besides, we're as good as engaged already!"

"Are we?" Eugene asked, exasperated. "Then why won't you say yes?"

"Because I don't want my parents to die!" Rapunzel's eyes grew wide, and she clamped her hands over her lips, then hurried on ahead, into the castle.

Eugene was too shocked and confused to even begin to think of what to say before she'd run off, but at least this time he managed to go after her. He grabbed hold of her hand just as Max slipped past her, blocking the hall, Pascal sitting atop the horse's head with hands out in a 'stop' gesture. Eugene didn't force Rapunzel to face him, just held her hand and waited for her to explain. He could hear her sniffling, but she kept her head turned away. He hated the helpless feeling he got when she cried.

He could hear her parents hurrying up behind them, then slow.

"Oh, Rampion, darling," Mallie began, reaching out but apparently thinking better of it. Eugene applauded the fact that the queen used Rapunzel's birth name; the King and Queen both usually used Rapunzel, but in this case, Eugene thought using it would remind Rapunzel too much of Gothel and the woman's platitudes. "I thought we'd settled this ... how can we prove to you that the curse isn't real?"

Linfred started. "That old thing again? I—" Mallie pressed a finger to his lip, shaking her head. This wasn't a time to say something that, even unintentionally, would make Rapunzel feel foolish, Eugene reckoned; she might just close up more.

"I know what you said, and I do agree," Rapunzel said, wiping her eyes with the heel of her free hand. "But how can I take the risk? It is a really strange set of coincidences. And Daddy, you and Mom haven't been well, you especially ...."

"Coincidence?" Eugene asked, trying not to sound happy over the possibility that maybe there was something other than anything he had done that had made Rapunzel say no every time he'd asked for her hand. 

Rapunzel turned towards him but still couldn't meet his eyes as she explained how it seemed every time someone in her family married, their (remaining) parents died.

"But sweetheart," Linfred said gently, "my father was already dying before I was engaged. It would have happened even without my getting married. I dare say the same is true of many of the deaths."

"Mom said pretty much the same thing," Rapunzel admitted. "I just ... I was a creature of magic once — how can I not at least take the possibility of a curse seriously?"

Eugene hated seeing Rapunzel so miserable, especially over something involving him. "You know ... you made a good point a moment ago: we are as good as engaged already — have been since that moment in the tower, when we'd each declared we were the other's new dream. That's enough for now, right? We don't have to actually get married to love one another — it's basically just a formal declaration of what we feel — and useful legally, I suppose. So tell you what: I'm going to ask you to marry me over and over, all the time, both when you least and most expect it, but until you're ready to say yes — if that day ever even comes, a-and I won't expect it to — you just answer 'Someday...', and I'll know you still love me. It'll be our 'thing'," he added, making air quotes.

She threw her arms around him tightly; he gave as good as he got, spinning her around. Reluctantly, he set her back on her feet. "So, I hear there's a swingin' party in this place — wanna go check it out?" he asked, offering her his arm.

Giggling, she accepted, and they began to walk.

"Shall we?" he heard Linfred ask Mallie; the queen's laugh sounded just like Rapunzel's.

Eugene thought of himself and Rapunzel twenty years from now, walking together just like this, and the thought made him smile.


	6. New Year's Eve

...oOo... (+)  
"Frying pans?" Cuthbert asked incredulously, his question echoing in the palace courtyard despite the dull roar of the crowd standing on the stairs and balcony surrounding them.

Linfred had talked the prince into waiting until New Year's Eve, at least, under the guise of finding replacement secretaries, should Eugene be mortally wounded and Rapunzel then have to leave with Cuthbert, to avert war. Mallie hinted to Rapunzel and Eugene that Linfred had something else up his sleeve. Since their attempts to sway Cuthbert into forgetting this foolishness in the meantime had failed, Rapunzel hoped they'd at least gained her father enough time for his plan to bear fruit, but the way he paced now seemed to indicate otherwise.

"You made the challenge, so I get to choose the weapons," Eugene pointed out.

Cuthbert rolled his eyes. "Fine, it's your funeral. Shall we put 'Death by Cooking Utensil' on your tombstone?"

A moment ago, Rapunzel had been relieved — surely Cuthbert would not be nearly so handy with a frying pan as Eugene, who practiced refining the techniques of its use with Max and the palace guard at least once a week! But what was this talk of death? Eugene wasn't a killer, but if this was a duel to the death, what else could he do to end it?

Eugene drew her aside. "Marry me," he told her.

It was possibly the most horrifying thing he'd ever said. "You're asking me to marry you because you don't think you'll live through this, aren't you?"

He blinked in surprise, then laughed. "You've forgotten our conversation from last week already? I'm not expecting a yes, you know!"

It was her turn to blink. Then she remembered. "Oh!" She smiled. "Someday!"

Chuckling made kissing harder, but they managed. He started to pull away, but she wouldn't let go. "I don't like this. I thought surrender would be an option!"

Eugene raised a brow. "You don't think I can beat him?"

"Under normal circumstances, yes, but if he won't surrender and you won't kill him, then there's a chance that exhaustion and dumb luck will be on his side. The more tired you are, the more evenly matched you'll both be!"

"Don't worry, I have a plan. Besides, unless you have another idea, I don't see any way out of this other than you just marrying him. You already risked your freedom once for my sake, when you agreed to go with Gothel in exchange for healing me. I couldn't bear the thought then, and I can't now — nor would your people, seeing as this time you'd be giving up your freedom for their lives, too. For us, that's no trade at all."

"But you nearly died last time — that's not a fair trade to me, either!"

"Except I didn't die then, and I promise you I won't die now. We still have to get married someday, remember? Now how about a kiss for luck?" 

Obliging him, she tasted salt, and wondered if she had been crying and hadn't noticed, or if it had come from him.

"If you gentlemen would take your places, we can begin," Gregory suggested.

"See, Fitzgerald, or whatever your name is? Your kingdom is eager to be rid of you!"

"He's not the one—" Gregory began, but Linfred silenced him with a glance.

"Well, Gladius, here's your weapon," Cuthbert said, turning to a Vladimir-sized behemoth at his side and handing the man a frying pan.

"Wait, what?" Eugene asked, paling.

"What what?"

"Why are you giving him your weapon?" Eugene elaborated. 

"Because he's my champion?" the prince replied, clearly thinking Eugene obtuse. "Seriously, you didn't think I would be fighting you? I have a kingdom to think of — I can't leave my people without a leader! You, however, are a nobody. Who would risk themselves for you?" The prince chuckled.

"I would." Vladimir, who had come to root with Eugene with the other thugs, stepped forward.

"So would I," chorused the rest of the thugs.

Cuthbert swallowed hard, obviously not pleased with this development, but Gladius looked bored.

"That's okay, boys," Eugene said, moving in front of them and facing Cuthbert. "I appreciate that you have my back, but unlike some people, I'm brave enough to fight my own battles." 

The prince sputtered a moment. "You know what?" he managed finally, "I might as well fight you myself — it's not like I have anything to worry about!"

The men took their places, and, when Pascal changed from red to yellow to green, the duel began.

Eugene ducked immediately rather than swinging, while Cuthbert swung so hard that his momentum carried him forward a few paces. Eugene quickly stood and whacked the prince on the rear end. The thugs laughed heartily, while Rapunzel smothered a giggle behind her hand. Before Cuthbert could recover, Eugene struck him on the upper part of the prince's "sword arm". Rapunzel didn't think the strike looked very hard, but then again, she supposed it didn't take much force to hurt when you wear hit with a heavy iron object! Case in point, Cuthbert cried out and held his arm, teeth gritted and eyes squeezed tight in pain. He was like that for at least half a minute, but instead of striking, Eugene grew concerned.

"Hey, man, are you—"

Cuthbert made a lightning-fast swing. Eugene stepped back and lost his balance, falling to the ground. Rapunzel found herself stepping forward, but Hans laid his hand on her shoulder, holding her back. Cuthbert brought his frying pan down; Eugene just barely rolled out of the way. The pan knocked a cobblestone free, and Cuthbert almost dropped the pan, which reverberated in his grip. Snarling, Eugene swung his own pan into the side of Cuthbert's knee; there was a sickening crunch, and the prince fell to the ground with a scream, his pan clattering to the ground. Rapunzel couldn't help but wince in sympathy, even if the prince had brought it on himself. Eugene got to his feet and stood over the fallen prince, nudging the fallen pan out of reach.

The court doctor, Marcoh, stood on the sidelines, looking uncomfortable and glancing at the king. To Rapunzel's surprise, Linfred shook his head no.

Panting heavily, the prince looked up at Eugene. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Eugene shrugged. "Didn't figure you'd want to get up just yet, but okay." He held out a hand.

Cuthbert stared at the hand like it was a foreign object. "What are you doing, idiot?"

Eugene looked at his hand, raising a confused brow. "I thought I was going to help you up ...."

"Do you not know what 'to the death' means?" Cuthbert asked, voice oozing derision.

Eugene rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but I was kind of hoping you'd let me skip over that part, considering you're the one who'd be dying now!"

"So you're afraid to kill your enemies? Some man you are! You'll never win your princess with that attitude!" Cuthbert sneered.

"That's just it, Cutty, old pal — I'm not fighting to win her," Eugene countered. "No human being is a prize to be owned by anyone else. It's up to her to choose whom she wants to be with. All I'm fighting for is to protect her right to choose without coercion — and to protect Corona from your war-mongering! You didn't give me any choice! You're the one who would risk the lives of innocents in an effort to own someone! If that's what you consider being a 'man', then I'd be glad for you to count me out! I have to say, though, your definition of a 'man' seems awfully like a rutting deer."

Enraged, Cuthbert launched himself at Eugene, who easily dodged him. The moment the man had to put his weight on his bad knee, the prince collapsed to the ground and screamed. Rapunzel thought the sound was as much a matter of frustration as pain.

Eugene studied the man a long moment, biting his lip. "You don't really want me to kill you — you just want me to try to kill you." His eyes flicked up to Gladius, who, Rapunzel realised, was standing close enough to shield Cuthbert if the need should arise. 

Rapunzel gasped in understanding. She clenched her fists, furious and overcome with a fierce desire to smack Cuthbert with a frying pan herself.

"Of course, killing me yourself was your Plan B — plan A was for your pal there to squash me flat. Plan C was to have me try to kill you, and then Rapunzel would take pity on you and be angry with me. Or maybe just have your bodyguard there kill me to protect you." 

Before Cuthbert could reply, footsteps drew their attention, and they spotted someone approaching from the street. As the figure drew closer, Rapunzel realised it was a woman: Dora. The spy knelt before the king, panting, holding out a sealed scroll. Taking it, Linfred ordered that water be brought; the woman drank deeply, heedless of the water sloshing down her dress. It didn't matter much, as she poured the rest over her head.

"It was as we suspected, Mallie," the king said after reading a moment. "They found the letters, and believe that they are indeed in Cuthbert's handwriting. Couple that with the fact that we know Roald was given the same poison that Marcoh identified in that wine we'd been given—"

"What??" Rapunzel and Eugene chorused.

"—and in the glass that was found in Lady Sofia's room the night the poor woman went ... well, when she wasn't quite herself," Linfred continued, "and Roald believes his son did indeed arranged for him to be poisoned. Lucky for us, he trusts us more than his own son, or he really would be dead now."

Mallie nodded sadly. Cuthbert gasped. Rapunzel boggled.

Roald was Cuthbert's father — he was still alive?

Cuthbert rolled over with a roar of fury, grabbed his discarded frying pan, and threw it at the back of Eugene's head.

Rapunzel didn't even know how she did it; one minute, she was just standing there, and the next, she was in a completely different spot, Eugene's arms around her and her own arm in pain like she had never imagined. She heard what seemed a million voices calling her name, though some called her Rampion. "Wha...wha-at just ha-happened?" she managed, feeling faint.

"You just blocked a flying frying pan with your arm!" Eugene said, sounding strangled.

"Can you carry her?" Marcoh asked. "I could tend to it here, but I think she'd be more comfortable in her room."

Eugene didn't answer, just gently picked her up and carried her off.

o=[======> (+)  
Eugene sat protectively against Rapunzel's right side while Marcoh tended to her injured left. Linfred, Mallie, Ancel, Idella, Max, and Pascal all sat around the room despite Marcoh's grumbling about the crowding. The thugs, Eugene knew, waited out in the hall, only because there really was no more room.

Marcoh had said it didn't feel like her arm was broken, but he couldn't imagine it not being at least fractured, so figured it was better to be safe than sorry. He gave Rapunzel some medicine that put her out like a light, then began the long, tedious process of wrapping her arm in layers of cloth, parchment, and wax. As the man worked, Eugene fell into an exhausted sleep, holding Rapunzel's good hand in his.

The room was much dimmer when he woke to the faint murmur of voices.

"Oh, good!" Linfred said. "He's awake! We won't have to tell it twice!" The king's eyes twinkled merrily as he teased Eugene.

A chuckle made its way around the room; everyone was still there, save for Marcoh — and with the addition of Dora. Eugene wondered petulantly what it would take for everyone else to leave like the doctor.

"Daddy was just about to explain this whole thing with Cuthbert and the poisoning," Rapunzel explained.

At the moment, Eugene didn't really care about political intrigue. Rapunzel looked so pale! And there were dark circles under her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I can't say I haven't felt better, but my arm hurts a lot less than it did back in the courtyard. Marcoh's medicine's helped a lot."

Her expression said otherwise; if her experience was anything like Eugene's had been after the accident on the docks, the medicine only dulled the pain from "completely agonising" to "marginally less agonising".

He squeezed her good hand and kissed her temple. "You need anything, you just say so, 'kay?"

He turned to find the King eying him expectantly, brow raised. "May I begin my story?"

"Oh, uh, of course, Your Majesty," Eugene replied, chagrined.

The king cleared his throat. "So. When you sent Dora to me, Rapunzel, she offered some information as a token of good faith. She'd said that she'd been sent here by Cuthbert to try to sway your mind against Eugene. Now, I was wary, of course — perhaps she was trying to sow seeds of ill-feeling between the two kingdoms, as well. But I had met Cuthbert before and thought him rather ill-behaved. His own father had confided in me that he felt his son was ill-tempered, but Roald wasn't sure what to do about it. Not to mention that I couldn't see what Dora would have to gain by putting our kingdoms at odds.

"I decided to make Dora a courier as a means to test her loyalty. I started small, giving her tasks like having her deliver bags of gold, then make deliveries with hidden valuables, trusting her with message of seeming importance to see if she would sell the information, and so on. In a few months' time, she never once gave me reason to doubt her, but often went above and beyond, even putting herself at risk on occasion — much like our Eugene."

As Eugene felt the colour rising in his face, he noted the same happening to Dora, and suddenly had a new insight: how he must look to Rapunzel's family. Linfred's words made him think of Dora as someone to be appreciated, and glad that Rapunzel had insisted on giving the woman a chance, just as her family had done for him. He realised maybe he'd been projecting how own feelings of how he was undeserving onto Dora — which made him feel like a heel — and that, as held been unfair to Dora, maybe he'd been unfair to himself. The feeling only increased as the story went on.

"Now, just before the incident with Sofia," Linfred continued, "Gregory had already informed me of the rumours of Boyd's infidelity — that was part of why I said what I did during dinner that night. I decided to have Dora keep an eye on them. She managed to overhear Regina and Boyd talking." He nodded to Dora.

Dora told her part of the story. "Boyd was saying Regina needed to stop with her plan to slowly poison Sofia through gifts of wine. Regina was insisting that no one would be able to prove anything, but if he was that worried, Cuthbert would protect them. I went to find Sofia, to warn her, but couldn't find her at first, only a half-empty wine glass and an empty bottle. I went back to looking for the woman, when I overheard the fighting in that one room. I got help, then went looking for Their Majesties and told them all I knew on the way back to the room."

"We didn't tell you at the time because we wanted to make sure what Dora was saying was true before we started accusing someone who was supposedly a friend of the court," Linfred added. "After we got things sorted with Sofia and the others, we found the wine glass and had Marcoh examine the content; he confirmed that it was, indeed, poisoned. When questioned, Regina admitted that she had been poisoning Sofia and her own husband, so that she and Boyd would have their spouses estates but be free to be with each other. Apparently they had talked about it with Cuthbert last Midwinter Festival. They came up with the plan together, with the help of Regina's uncle, who, she revealed, is an apothecarist. Besides their obvious intentions, poisoning their spouses was a way of test the effectiveness of the poison before using it on Roald.

"We kept Regina and Boyd under tight security, so that they couldn't somehow get a message to Cuthbert and he wouldn't know we were on to him. We needed more evidence than Regina's accusations and what Dora overheard, though, before we could go accusing Roald's son of attempted murder, especially since Boyd denied all of it. Regina said that she'd kept the letters to from her uncle and Cuthbert, in case she was caught, to use as leverage, but they weren't in her room, nor was the poison. Several servants reported seeing a man that matched Regina's uncle's description in her room, so we assumed he'd removed the evidence and went into hiding. I sent Dora to hunt for the man, as well as keep an eye on Roald, under the guise of being a servant. Marcoh taught her how to test for the poison, which she did regularly."

Dora picked the story back up. "Using Marcoh's methods, I got myself a position as Roald's food-taster. I explained that some poisoners worked over time, but my methods could detect the poison early — and of course I would still taste the food myself after testing it, just to prove it was really safe. For a long while, I found nothing. I thought maybe Regina was lying after all, and that the servants had been mistaken about having seen her uncle. Still, why, when she thought they were alone, would she say that Cuthbert would protect her and Boyd if it wasn't true, I wondered, so I kept looking for the man.

"It turned out that the poison he'd used wasn't so easily obtained; he'd had to leave the country to get what he needed to make it. When he finally returned to Roald's palace a few months ago, I detected the poison in the king's wine soon after. I took the king and queen aside and explained the situation, giving them a password Linfred had given me, to prove that I was an ally. The king was all too ready to believe me. He decided to let Cuthbert think his plan was working, and see if maybe the prince would give himself away, while I continued to look for the letters."

"In the meantime," Mallie took over, "your father and I found a strange bottle of wine in our room one night. We had Marcoh check it, and he found it had been poisoned just like Sofia's glass. We questioned the servants, but no one admitted to having put it there. A short while later, we got a message from Roald about Dora's discovery and Roald's plan to pretend that he was slowly getting sicker. We decided to pretend the same, and hope that, over time, either he would slip up or Dora would find the proof we needed."

"But ... why would Cuthbert want to kill you?" Rapunzel wondered.

"So they wouldn't stand in the way of him trying to force you to marry him, I bet," Eugene posited darkly. "When he was told his father was dead, he had to move on with his plan. He probably expected your parents to be dead by now, or at least hoped that they would encourage you to marry him if they feared they were dying, to make sure you were better taken care of."

"As if we would choose him over you," Mallie sniffed.

Eugene felt his cheeks burn again, and ducked his head.

"So when Cuthbert got the message that his father had died, does that mean you found the letters you were looking for?" Rapunzel asked Dora.

"Actually, no! Roald decided we'd waited long enough and needed to move things along. Unfortunately, we hadn't anticipated that Cuthbert would propose to you, much less challenge Fl-itzherbert." Eugene thought maybe Dora had tripped over his name a little. "Your father sent Regina to Roald, with a note explaining about what had happened at the Solstice. We showed the apothecarist his niece from a distance, told him she'd already told us enough to hang them both for what they'd done to Sofia at the very least, but suggested that, if he cooperated, they'd get life in prison rather than the hangman's noose. He gave up the correspondences Cuthbert had written when they were apart but still coordinating their plans. Cuthbert had apparently expected them to burn the letters ...." 

"Burning does seem to be the preferred means of destroying evidence," Eugene sighed. "Reynard certainly used it often enough." 

Dora looked anxious. "Uh, actually ... it turned out that Regina's 'uncle' didn't exactly cooperate because of the reasons we thought. He was Reynard in disguise." 

"WHAT?" Eugene leapt to his feet, heart pounding. The man had been running free? In the palace here, around Rapunzel??

The king had stood as well, though more quietly; even so, his bearing made both his alarm and his anger clear. So he hadn't known either.

"I went to check on Cuthbert, and he asked why his parents would have written the warrant for his arrest that I'd brought to you — he thought I had forged them. I explained what we'd done. He started laughing about how the 'old dog' had managed to fool him. 'You didn't even recognise him, did you?' he asked. And then I realised that I'd had this nagging feeling that I'd known the apothecarist from somewhere. I'd figured it was just because I'd seen him here, all those months ago, but when the prince said that, I realised: it was Reynard."

"But ... the place we sent him to ... there was a fire — he burned up in his prison cell! They found his body still in it!" Mallie insisted.

Eugene's stomach dropped. "You didn't tell me that!"

Mallie and Linfred exchanged glances, before Mallie replied, "We ... well, he was your father, after all. We figured you'd be happiest just thinking he was in a prison cell than knowing he'd died such a horrible death."

Eugene sighed ruefully, taking Mallie's hand and squeezing. "I appreciate that, but what you don't know about Reynard is that leaving a crispy corpse in his place is one of his favourite ploys." He turned to Dora. "So let me guess: back before Valentine's Day, he somehow tracked you down, and tracked Cuthbert down, and got you to meet somehow — that's how Cuthbert ended up sending you here."

"I-I swear I didn't know!" Dora protested.

Eugene nodded. "You didn't need to. You probably heard some old man talking about Flynn Rider in a tavern—"

"Where I worked at the time, yes. But it was a woman, actually. She was swooning over you, and I had to set her straight." Dora blinked. "Wait, don't tell me—"

"That the woman was Reynard?" Eugene asked. "If not him, then someone he paid. And Cuthbert was there, right?"

Dora nodded. "He overheard everything, and said he knew where you'd ended up, and that he'd pay my way to get there so I could get my revenge." She sighed and screwed her eyes shut, putting a hand to her temple. "I am such an idiot — how many times has Reynard fooled me now?"

"The man seems to have as much of a grudge against you now as me," Eugene agreed. "And he delights in chaos. No matter how all this turned out, he would get a situation he could take advantage of somehow."

"How do you figure that?" Rapunzel asked.

"I imagine Regina would have kept him comfortable if the plot against her husband and Sofia had worked. He could have gotten me killed, or Dora. You could have suffered a broken heart learning more about my past, or because of my death, or in getting married off to Cuthbert — or been killed. He could have killed your parents, or Roald or his wife."

"Except that none of that came to pass!" Linfred pointed out. "And now he's in prison again!"

"And that's never exactly been a deterrent before," Eugene replied ruefully. "And now Cuthbert will probably be imprisoned for life, if not worse, and Roald is left without an heir. The turmoil will create quite a playground for him — all he has to do is escape again." Eugene squared his shoulders and turned to his ladylove. "Rapunzel—"

"I know." She looked miserable, and he hated it, hated his father for creating this situation. "You're never going to be able to rest until you see him with your own eyes, and see him ...."

He swallowed hard. As much as he hated the man, as dangerous as Reynard was, he didn't want to kill the man or even just watch him die. But Rapunzel was right; he could never rest otherwise, for fear the man would hurt someone he cared about.

He carefully kneeled on the bed and gently kissed his girl; she grabbed him by the collar and kissed him back fiercely. When she broke it off finally, she panted, "That's so you don't forget why you should come back."

He didn't dare tell her she'd just made it nearly impossible to leave in the first place. "Are you sure that'll last you?" he asked, leaning in for another.

She pressed a finger against his lips. "It'll have to be; if it's not, I'm coming after you, cast or no cast!"

He flashed her a grin before scurrying off. "C'mon, Max — we have a prince to deliver!" He started missing Rapunzel before he was even out the door, wishing he could stay and wait on her hand and foot until she was better.

On the upside, he reckoned that warmth of her kiss would last him to the other kingdom and back again.


	7. A Homecoming and a Birthday

...oOo... (+)  
This day marked exactly a week since Eugene's departure. Rapunzel could have spent the entire time worrying about the fact that Dora, his "ex", had gone with him, or that he might just decide not to come back, that palace life wasn't for him after all. Instead, she found herself only worried about Eugene's wellbeing, in general and in the specific of the whole Reynard situation. Otherwise, she hadn't experienced even the slightest wavering in her conviction that Eugene would come back to her. She wasn't sure when this newfound confidence in their relationship (or in herself) had set in, but there it was.

So her only concerns as she waited for him was when he would arrive (not if), and how he would be feeling. Regardless of whether his mission was completed, whether Reynard had escaped or was hanged and Eugene had confirmed the death, Eugene was doubtless not going to be the happiest of men. And, well, there were always dangers on the road, but she wasn't too worried about that; Max was with him, after all.

She wished she could go down to the docks to wait for him, but for one thing, it was cold out, being the dead of winter and all. For another, that was a little too far from the office, and she wasn't going to leave her mother and Idella with all the work when she wasn't even sure what day Eugene would arrive. So she sat on one of the thrones in the audience hall, her work in her lap. Not that she got much work done, glancing up as often as she was to the doors that led outside, but accomplishing some small bit of work was better than accomplishing nothing at all. And at least she had Pascal, Idella, and occasionally Ancel and her parents to keep her company. (At the moment, it was just the first two.)

Funny, work had always been the way she'd handled Gothel's absences — she wondered why keeping busy never seemed an effective way to kill time when waiting for Eugene?

The double-doors creaked open, Max stepping through first, then Eugene, and finally Dora; they all looked tired. Rapunzel jumped to her feet and hurried down the steps of the dais; seeing her, Max and Eugene suddenly picked up speed, racing to meet her — but off course Max reached her first. Rapunzel ran to meet him, Max slowing as he drew near. She threw her good arm around the horse's neck in a cheerful hello, and he gave her a happy whinny as he snuggled up to her. Pascal climbed from her shoulder into the horse's mane, in greeting.

"Ahem ...."

Eugene stood beside them with his hands on his hips, his expression bemused. "What's a guy gotta do to get a little attention around here? Neigh?"

Rapunzel grinned and greeted Eugene as fiercely as she could with her good arm, trying to make up for the lack of use in the other. She could feel his exhaustion; he practically melted into her embrace, sighing contentedly.

"Marry me," he said. Translation: I love you.

"Someday," she promised. Translation: I love you too.

He pulled back just enough to kiss her. There was no urgency; it was more like coming home to rest and be revitalised. Ending the kiss, he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "I missed you so much," he whispered. He smiled fondly, but even though it did reach his eyes, those eyes were also haunted.

She took his hand in hers and snuggled against it. "Me too." She wondered which version of events put the shadows there; she couldn't decide which would be worse.

"How's your arm?"

"What arm?" she asked, kissing him again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Dora trying to sneak past. She turned to the woman and smiled. "Good to have you back too, Dora."

Blushing, Dora bowed. "Thank you, your highness. I'll, ah, just go on ahead and give my report to the King."

Rapunzel nodded her assent, still smiling as she watched the woman hurry away. Dora was going to be a far better friend than Regina — had already been so. Like with Eugene, Rapunzel was glad she had trusted her gut and given the woman a second chance. She just wished they could have done the same with Reynard, for Eugene's sake, but the problem with choices was that a person could just as easily make a choice to harm as to help, and Reynard had consistently proven himself to be the sort to make the latter, to the extreme.

Rapunzel spotted Idella next, standing expectantly a few feet off. Eugene followed her gaze.

"Heya!" he waved.

Idella smiled. "Welcome back, Eugene. Shall I send Ancel to your quarters?"

"Nah, that's okay. I imagine he's helping the king out?"

Idella nodded.

"Well, when Linfred's done with him, you two take the night off — er, unless you have need of her?" he asked Rapunzel.

Rapunzel shook her head. "If you could just bring the paperwork I was working on back to my mother's office, that'll be all for today." Giving the servants time off meant her and Eugene would get some alone time themselves — it was win-win for everyone!

She didn't ask about Reynard as she and Eugene made their slow, leisurely way to Eugene's quarters, holding hands, Pascal riding Max behind them. For a long while, they said nothing at all, content to just be together.

When they reached Eugene's room, they started a fire and sat next to it, and eventually, thawed from his long, chilly journey, Eugene spoke.

Reynard was dead, but not because he'd been executed. (Rapunzel had wondered how they would get around the promise of clemency Dora had made, anyway.)

"It was the darndest thing," Eugene told her, a mix of awe and horror in his voice. "Dora and I were standing just outside his cell, with Queen Gilda, looking in — we were verifying that it really was was him, see? And the next thing we know, the man is suddenly stung by a handful of honey bees! We didn't even see them come in! It all happened so fast — I got the stingers out of him, but ... it didn't do any good. He couldn't breathe. It was horrible," he finished quietly.

Her arms already around him, Rapunzel hugged him, rubbing his arm. She decided it was best not to tell him that Queen Gilda kept bees as a hobby. It probably wasn't a good idea to mention that Rapunzel was glad the man was dead, but also that it was an accident (well, maybe), or even that she was proud of Eugene for trying to help the man in spite of everything. She was pretty sure he'd rather not think about what happened at all — and she knew the prefect distraction.

They didn't say another word until dinner, their lips busy with things other than words.

...oOo... (+)  
For another year and a half, they had their ups and downs, like any couple, but most of that time was happy, and their few arguments were usually the result of momentary misunderstandings. Even when at their worst, not a day went by that Eugene didn't ask Rapunzel to marry him — sometimes several times in one day — and she always replied with a smiling "Someday." They rarely even bothered with "I love you"s anymore, their own special exchange having more meaning for them. And so the days passed, until the morning of Rapunzel's 21st birthday.

Idella gave her mistress a gift first thing that morning: four small horseshoe pendants made from one of Max's melted-down old horseshoes, on chains. "It's from Ancel, Max, Pascal, and me, to keep you, Eugene, and your parents all safe," the girl explained, putting one over the head of the princess.

Linfred and Mallie came in just then, and Idella gave them their own pendants, explaining the significance.

"Thank you, Idella!" Mallie said, smiling. She then looked hesitant as she turned Rapunzel's way. "I hope this will make our own gift a little easier to take ...."

Rapunzel didn't like the sound of that. But if it was a gift, why would it be hard to take...?

Linfred squared his shoulders, swallowing hard — never a good sign. "Well, my dear, we think it's time you took your turn on the throne, so ... we're abdicating!" he said cheerfully, throwing his hands up in the air.

Rapunzel goggled. "Come again?"

"Oh, not right this second," Mallie assured her. "But we definitely intend to see you coronated before you hit 22. You're more than ready, sweetheart." And Mallie kissed the dumbstruck Rapunzel's forehead.

Linfred did the same, and the pair turned to leave. "Oh, but we have other gifts too, don't worry!" he added just before they left.

Rapunzel plopped down on the bed. It wasn't that she didn't want the job, but ... so soon? A horrible thought occurred to her. "They're dying!" she wailed. "Or at least one of them is!"

"Maybe ..." Idella replied, tapping her finger thoughtfully, "or maybe they've found a way around the curse!" she suggested, suddenly excited.

"How do you figure?"

"Well, what do all the deaths have in common?"

Rapunzel shrugged; she hadn't wanted to know the sad details ....

"The kings and queens were still kings and queens when their children were married! Their children didn't take the throne until after they died! If you become queen before you're married, maybe the curse will be nullified!"

Could it be? Dare she hope?

"Would that really work?" she asked Eugene later. "I mean, I want to believe it, but ... well, don't you think one — or even both — of them being sick is a more likely reason?"

"I think them simply wanting to retire is the most likely reason," Eugene mused, studying his horseshoe. "But if they're both sick, then the curse is kind of moot, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is," she said, a rock forming in her throat, her eyes stinging just before tears burned their way down her cheeks.

"Whoa, whoa, hey, now!" Eugene slid his arms around her, rocking her gently, reminding her of the boat ride they would go on that night, as had become her birthday custom. "You know, if you're going to consider the possibility that a curse might be real, shouldn't you consider the possibility of the truth of other magic? 'Cause I think Max has been a pretty lucky horse, so, you know ... maybe these'll negate the curse?" he suggested, holding up his horseshoe pendant. "Especially if, like Idella said, we changed the terms .... But you know what?" he asked briskly, "It still doesn't even matter. I meant what I said before: we've been as good as married practically since we met. We don't need some ceremony to tell us that, okay? So don't even worry about it." He kissed her hair.

He was right. They had basically been married already, save for a certain intimate detail. Married for ... three years now? Three years, and her parents were still alive. Why did the curse care about ceremonies? If the curse existed at all. And why would it? No one knew why it started. Maybe the curse was a self-fulfilling prophecy: those people died because they believed they would, after someone found a parallel in the deaths of two or three generations in a row — people who'd died early in an age where that was what people did: die early. 

Rapunzel was born a creature of real magic. She'd had a tangible skill, not a suspected one. She'd been a healer; thinking on it, it seemed unfathomable that any act of hers should take a life. She'd saved Eugene's life, after all — and had kept Gothel alive for years. Maybe that was the real source of her fear, the fact that she'd kept someone who wasn't even her real parent alive, but now had no ability to do the same for her true parents, as if their lives were the price she'd pay for Gothel's, and the year after her wedding was when the payment would come due. She'd lost enough of her life to fear; it had kept her from going against her mother's wishes and leaving her tower.

She hadn't left one tower to keep herself in another.

She made a decision.

o=[======> (+)

Since Rapunzel had agreed to the whole "Marry me/Someday" thing, Eugene had felt free to say it even on holidays, and she hadn't expressed any disapproval. What Rapunzel didn't know, though, was that Eugene always carried around the ring he'd had made for her — just in case. Never mind that he truly didn't expect any answer other than "Someday" anymore, and often didn't even think of the phrase as a proposal, only as an "I love you".

So when they sat in the boat, out on the water, with the lanterns flying overhead, and he said "Marry me," it took a moment to register when Rapunzel replied, smiling "Okay."

He just gazed at her lovingly, as usual, until some part of him realised that what she said, while similar, didn't quite sound like "Someday". He played the memory back, then gasped. "Did ... did you just say ..." 

"Okay," she repeated, smiling wide.

A joyous laugh slipped past his lips, then another, then a whole string, with tears to match escaping his eyes. "Wait, wait, hold on," he told her, searching for his pocket and, once found, removing a small box. 

Hands trembling, he almost fumbled the box into the water, and breathed a sigh of relief when Rapunzel caught it. Her hands were trembling as well; it took both of them to get the box open and the ring on her finger.

The kiss she gave him then was worth the three-year wait.

~FINIS~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For now, I consider this series ended. Maybe someday I'll get the urge to write about their life after the wedding; for now, I'm just relieved _Tangled Ever After_ didn't Joss this series! LOL! Thanks for reading! :) I hope you enjoyed it!  <3

**Author's Note:**

> [Click here](http://wolfenm.deviantart.com/art/Tangled-Wedding-Portrait-195898868) for my wedding portrait painting of Rapunzel and Eugene! :)
> 
> ###########  
> If you've enjoyed my writing, I invite you to explore my original fantasy storyverse, [Gaiankind](http://gaiankind.com)! You can even find Gaiankind stories for free [here](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Gaiankind) on AO3!


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